Prevalence of the Most Frequent Neuropsychiatric Diagnoses in Hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 Patients Evaluated by Liaison Psychiatry: Cross-Sectional Study

Authors

  • Luis Afonso Fernandes Departamento de Saúde Mental. Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca. Lisboa. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5067-5450
  • Catarina Garcia Ribeiro Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central. Lisboa. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3533-7776
  • Marisa Martins Serviço de Psiquiatria. Hospital Distrital de Santarém. Santarém.
  • Inês Figueiredo Departamento de Saúde Mental. Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca. Lisboa.
  • Manuel Dias Departamento de Saúde Mental. Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca. Lisboa.
  • João Facucho Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Hospital de Cascais. Cascais. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2940-7915
  • Joana Carreno Unidade de Saúde Familiar Monte da Luz. Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde Sintra. Sintra.
  • Inês Guerra Unidade de Saúde Familiar Mactamã. Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde Sintra. Sintra.
  • Carlos Vieira Departamento de Saúde Mental. Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca. Lisboa.
  • Catarina Oliveira Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental. Unidade Local de Saúde de Castelo Branco. Castelo Branco.
  • Alice Luís Departamento de Saúde Mental. Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca. Lisboa.
  • Teresa Maia Departamento de Saúde Mental. Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca. Lisboa.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.16410

Keywords:

COVID-19, Delirium, Mental Health Services, Psychiatry, Referral and Consultation

Abstract

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with the acute onset of mental and behavioural symptoms and psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of the different neuropsychiatric diagnoses in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection assessed by Liaison Psychiatry.
Material and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in a hospital near Lisbon, Portugal. We reviewed the electronic health records from all inpatients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test that were assessed by the Liaison Psychiatry Unit (LPU) between February and December 2020. We reviewed relevant sociodemographic and clinical data, including 15 neuropsychiatric symptoms. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was our main outcome. We also explored differences between two groups: patients with delirium (delirium group) and patients without delirium (no delirium group).
Results: We included 46 cases [Age: median = 67 years; interquartile range (IQR) = 24)], with 60.9% male individuals. Delirium was the most frequent diagnosis in our sample (43.5%), followed by major depressive disorder (21.7%). Patients with delirium were more likely to suffer from COVID-19 symptoms (delirium: 19/20, 95%; no delirium: 14/26, 53.8%; p = 0.02), and to have a longer time interval between a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test and an evaluation by the LPU (delirium: median = 16.5 days, IQR = 16; no delirium: median = 8 days, IQR = 16.3; p = 0.045). Agitation (52.2%) and cognitive symptoms (47.8%) were the most reported neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of delirium in our sample. This finding is in line with recent literature concerning hospitalized COVID-19 patients The higher frequency of COVID-19 symptoms found in the delirium group suggests a possible association between symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and delirium onset.

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Published

2022-06-01

How to Cite

1.
Fernandes LA, Garcia Ribeiro C, Martins M, Figueiredo I, Dias M, Facucho J, Carreno J, Guerra I, Vieira C, Oliveira C, Luís A, Maia T. Prevalence of the Most Frequent Neuropsychiatric Diagnoses in Hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 Patients Evaluated by Liaison Psychiatry: Cross-Sectional Study. Acta Med Port [Internet]. 2022 Jun. 1 [cited 2024 Mar. 29];35(6):425-32. Available from: https://actamedicaportuguesa.com/revista/index.php/amp/article/view/16410

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Original