Quality of life and mental disorders in the post-COVID period (systematic review)

The 2019 novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic has been a great burden for all of humanity. Soon after it began, researchers noticed that elimination of the virus from the body and recovery are not the end of the disease, since many patients did not return to their previous state of health, continued to complain of pathologies of various organs and systems, could not work, and some of them developed mental disorders.

The aim of the review was to analyze and summarize published data on the quality of life and mental disorders in the post-COVID period. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations, 7,374 scientific works were found, of which 176 English-language and 276 Russianlanguage relevant publications were selected for analysis. The review included 17 (including 2 Russian-language) articles relevant to the topic of this review. Complaints of decreased memory and attention, appearing no later than 6 months after recovery from COVID-19, were reported by 3.2–9.1% of patients. Asthenic symptoms during the first month after the elimination of the novel coronavirus infection occurred in 55–70% of patients, and six months later – in every fifth patient. At the same time, post-viral fatigue more often affected women discharged from respiratory hospitals and persons with chronic bronchopulmonary pathology. Quite often, those who recovered from COVID-19 experienced insomnia and emotional disturbances, the frequency of which also correlated with the female sex and the severe course of the disease, which required hospitalization in the intensive care unit (ICU). In the post-COVID period, the development of depressive symptoms is not excluded, but sufficient evidence for this has not been obtained. The quality of life in these patients decreased. After discharge from the hospital, some patients remained unable to work, and some began to experience difficulties with self-care. However, over time, there is a trend toward restoration of the quality of life, which is especially evident in young people. In patients who have been in the ICU for more than 7 days, the rehabilitation potential is much lower. Psychopathological symptoms contribute to a decrease in the quality of life along with physical factors (persistent dyspnea, decreased exercise tolerance).

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