Aftereffects of the new corona - Half of the severely ill patients continue to have cognitive impairment after more than a year

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

新型コロナ後遺症 重症患者の半数が1年余り認知機能の不調続く

2022年10月8日 6時48分

新型コロナウイルスで重症化した患者の後遺症について日本集中治療医学会が調査した結果、1年余りたったあとも半数ほどの人で記憶など認知機能の不調が続いているとみられることが分かりました。ほかの病気で重症化した場合より割合が高く、早期にリハビリを行うことが重要だと指摘しています。

日本集中治療医学会は新型コロナに感染し、おととしの年末までに各地の合わせて32の病院で人工呼吸器による治療を受けた患者や家族を対象にアンケート調査を行い、209人から回答を得ました。

調査結果を分析した結果、集中治療室を出てから1年1か月余りの時点で記憶や日常の動作などに不調が続いているとみられるのは60.8％に上りました。

このうち、

▽物忘れなど認知機能の不調が53.1％と半数余り、

▽うつ状態など精神的な不調が28.7％、

▽日常の動作の際に息切れがするなどの不調が18.7％で、

複数の不調が重なる人もいました。

海外の研究では、コロナ以外で集中治療室での治療を受けた人で1年後に認知機能の不調があった人は30％余りで、コロナでは割合が高いとしています。

Translation

As a result of a survey by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine about the aftereffects of patients who became severely ill with the new coronavirus, it was found that about half of the people seemed to continue to have poor cognitive functions such as in memory even after more than a year. It pointed out that early rehabilitation would be important because the rate of severe illness was higher in  case of another disease.

The Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine conducted a questionnaire survey on patients and their families who were infected with the new corona, and were treated with ventilators at 32 hospitals in various places up to the end of the year before last. Responses from 209 people were received.

As a result of analyzing the survey results, it was found that 60.8% of the patients seemed to have problems with memory and daily activities even more than 1 year and 1 month after leaving the intensive care unit.

Among these,

▽ Cognitive dysfunction such as forgetfulness was 53.1%, i.e., more than half,

▽ Mental disorder such as depression was 28.7%,

▽ Short of breath during daily activities was 18.7%

Some people had multiple problems.

According to overseas research, more than 30% of people who received treatment in an intensive care unit other than for Corona had cognitive impairment after one year, and for Corona the ratio was high.

So, it is found that about half of the patients seem to continue to have poor cognitive functions such as in memory even more than a year after receiving treatments for Corona in hospitals.