ArticleBMC infectious diseases2025
Persistent pain and brain fog after COVID-19 infection in European adults aged 50 and over: a population-based longitudinal study.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundPsychological distress has been identified as a risk factor for long COVID in individuals infected with COVID-19. Little is known about the differences in long COVID symptom profiles between older adults with pre-existing depression and those without.
methodsA population-based longitudinal prospective study was performed using the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) with participants aged 50 years and older. Depression was assessed by the EURO-D scale at the baseline. Long COVID symptoms were self-reported by participants during the 12-month follow-up. A hurdle negative binomial model was employed to assess the impact of pre-existing depression on the burden of long COVID. We compared the differences in symptoms between participants with pre-existing depression and those without with the Chi-squared test.
resultsParticipants with pre-existing depression had an approximately 16% increased risk of experiencing additional persistent symptoms after COVID-19 infection. During the 12-month follow-up following COVID-19 infection, the prevalence of headaches (32.2% vs. 25.9%; P = 0.027), body aches or joint pain (38.5% vs. 29.4%; P < 0.001), and confusion (10.6% vs. 7.6%; P < 0.01) were significantly higher among participants with pre-existing depression than among those without.
conclusionOlder adults with pre-existing depression had a higher burden of long COVID following COVID-19 infection and they were more likely to suffer from persistent physical pain and confusion compared to those without a history of depression.
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