De Berardis D, Di Carlo F, Di Giannantonio M, Pettorruso M. Legacy of neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with past COVID-19 infection: A cause of concern. World J Psychiatry 2022; 12(6): 773-778 [PMID: 35978974 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i6.773]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Domenico De Berardis, MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Chief Doctor, Doctor, Professor, Mental Health, NHS, ASL 4 Teramo, Piazza Italia 1, Teramo 64100, Italy. domenico.deberardis@aslteramo.it
Research Domain of This Article
Psychiatry
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatry. Jun 19, 2022; 12(6): 773-778 Published online Jun 19, 2022. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i6.773
Legacy of neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with past COVID-19 infection: A cause of concern
Domenico De Berardis, Francesco Di Carlo, Massimo Di Giannantonio, Mauro Pettorruso
Domenico De Berardis, Mental Health, NHS, ASL 4 Teramo, Teramo 64100, Italy
Francesco Di Carlo, Massimo Di Giannantonio, Mauro Pettorruso, Neurosciences and Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti 66100, Italy
Author contributions: All authors have contributed to this editorial with equal efforts.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Domenico De Berardis, MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Chief Doctor, Doctor, Professor, Mental Health, NHS, ASL 4 Teramo, Piazza Italia 1, Teramo 64100, Italy. domenico.deberardis@aslteramo.it
Received: April 6, 2021 Peer-review started: April 6, 2021 First decision: September 5, 2021 Revised: September 13, 2021 Accepted: May 16, 2022 Article in press: May 16, 2022 Published online: June 19, 2022
Abstract
Although primarily affecting the respiratory system, growing attention is being paid to the neuropsychiatric consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Acute and sub-acute neuropsychiatric manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease and their mechanisms are better studied and understood currently than they had been when the pandemic began; however, many months or years will be necessary to fully comprehend how significant the consequences of such complications will be. In this editorial, we discuss the possible long-term sequelae of the COVID-19 pandemic, deriving our considerations on experiences drawn from past coronaviruses’ outbreaks, such as the SARS and the middle east respiratory syndrome, and from the knowledge of the mechanisms of neurotropism and invasiveness of SARS-CoV-2. Acknowledging the global spread of COVID-19 and the vast number of people affected, to date amounting to many millions, the matter of this pandemic’s neuropsychiatric legacy appears concerning. Public health monitoring strategies and early interventions seem to be necessary to manage the possible emergence of a severe wave of neuropsychiatric distress among the survivors.
Core Tip: While acute neuropsychiatric manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are the object of study, far less is known about long-term neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19 infection. Much of the knowledge about this topic can be drawn from past coronaviruses outbreaks and from the study of the mechanisms through which severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 harms the central nervous system. A relevant wave of both psychiatric (anxiety and depressive disorders, post-traumatic syndromes) and neurological symptoms could be expected. There will be a vital need for monitoring and early intervention to minimize this potential burden of neuropsychiatric distress.
