Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33682276›Full record

Observational studyEuropean journal of neurology2021

Neurological outcome and quality of life 3 months after COVID-19: A prospective observational cohort study.

Verena Rass, Ronny Beer, Alois Josef Schiefecker, Mario Kofler, Anna Lindner, Philipp Mahlknecht, Beatrice Heim, Victoria Limmert, Sabina Sahanic, Alex Pizzini and 12 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMulticenter StudyObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in European journal of neurology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers, 17 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
88citing papers in PubMed, 17 pooled it
17.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

88 citing papers in PubMed, 17 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 177 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Neurocognitive Impairment in Long COVID: A Systematic Review.Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists · 2025
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  3. SARS-CoV-2 post-acute sequelae in previously hospitalised patients: systematic literature review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2023
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  7. COVID-19 associated cognitive impairment: A systematic review.Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior · 2022
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  8. ESCMID rapid guidelines for assessment and management of long COVID.Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases · 2022
    Guideline
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28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Verena RassDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4241-5891
Ronny BeerDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4341-6845
Alois Josef SchiefeckerDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Mario KoflerDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3800-8417
Anna LindnerDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0622-8033
Philipp MahlknechtDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0671-0516
Beatrice HeimDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Victoria LimmertDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Sabina SahanicDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0583-9310
Alex PizziniDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Thomas SonnweberDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5080-386X
Ivan TancevskiDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5116-8960
Christoph ScherflerDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4885-5265
Laura ZamarianDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1640-4179
Rosa Bellmann-WeilerDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5584-111X
Günter WeissDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0709-2158
Atbin DjamshidianDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7174-6000
Stefan KiechlDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9836-2514
Klaus SeppiDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6503-1455
Judith Loeffler-RaggDepartment of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0873-7501
Bettina PfauslerDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Raimund HelbokDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5682-0145
Innsbruck Medical University · AT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and purposeTo assess neurological manifestations and health-related quality of life (QoL) 3 months after COVID-19.

methodsIn this prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study we systematically evaluated neurological signs and diseases by detailed neurological examination and a predefined test battery assessing smelling disorders (16-item Sniffin Sticks test), cognitive deficits (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), QoL (36-item Short Form), and mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5) 3 months after disease onset.

resultsOf 135 consecutive COVID-19 patients, 31 (23%) required intensive care unit (ICU) care (severe), 72 (53%) were admitted to the regular ward (moderate), and 32 (24%) underwent outpatient care (mild) during acute disease. At the 3-month follow-up, 20 patients (15%) presented with one or more neurological syndromes that were not evident before COVID-19. These included polyneuro/myopathy (n = 17, 13%) with one patient presenting with Guillain-Barré syndrome, mild encephalopathy (n = 2, 2%), parkinsonism (n = 1, 1%), orthostatic hypotension (n = 1, 1%), and ischemic stroke (n = 1, 1%). Objective testing revealed hyposmia/anosmia in 57/127 (45%) patients at the 3-month follow-up. Self-reported hyposmia/anosmia was lower (17%) at 3 months, however, improved when compared to the acute disease phase (44%; p < 0.001). At follow-up, cognitive deficits were apparent in 23%, and QoL was impaired in 31%. Assessment of mental health revealed symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorders in 11%, 25%, and 11%, respectively.

conclusionsDespite recovery from the acute infection, neurological symptoms were prevalent at the 3-month follow-up. Above all, smelling disorders were persistent in a large proportion of patients.

Indexed as

COVID-19StrokeCohort StudiesHumansProspective StudiesQuality of LifeSARS-CoV-2COVID-19neuro-COVIDneurologic manifestationsquality of lifeSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID33682276
PMCPMC8250725
OpenAlexW3133985896

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.