Elevation of neural injury markers in patients with neurologic sequelae after hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection

Michail Spanos; Sigal Shachar; Thadryan Sweeney; H. Immo Lehmann; Priyanka Gokulnath; Guoping Li; George B. Sigal; Rajini Nagaraj; Pradeepthi Bathala; Farhan Rana; Ravi V. Shah; David A. Routenberg; Saumya Das

iScience (Aug 2022)

Elevation of neural injury markers in patients with neurologic sequelae after hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection

Michail Spanos,
Sigal Shachar,
Thadryan Sweeney,
H. Immo Lehmann,
Priyanka Gokulnath,
Guoping Li,
George B. Sigal,
Rajini Nagaraj,
Pradeepthi Bathala,
Farhan Rana,
Ravi V. Shah,
David A. Routenberg,
Saumya Das

Affiliations

Michail Spanos: Cardiovascular Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street, Simches 3 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Sigal Shachar: Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC. (MSD), Rockville, MD, USA
Thadryan Sweeney: Cardiovascular Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street, Simches 3 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
H. Immo Lehmann: Cardiovascular Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street, Simches 3 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Priyanka Gokulnath: Cardiovascular Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street, Simches 3 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Guoping Li: Cardiovascular Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street, Simches 3 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
George B. Sigal: Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC. (MSD), Rockville, MD, USA
Rajini Nagaraj: Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC. (MSD), Rockville, MD, USA
Pradeepthi Bathala: Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC. (MSD), Rockville, MD, USA
Farhan Rana: Cardiovascular Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street, Simches 3 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Ravi V. Shah: Cardiovascular Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street, Simches 3 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
David A. Routenberg: Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC. (MSD), Rockville, MD, USA
Saumya Das: Cardiovascular Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street, Simches 3 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 25, no. 8
p. 104833

Abstract

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Summary: Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) risk developing long-term neurologic symptoms after infection. Here, we identify biomarkers associated with neurologic sequelae one year after hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2-positive patients were followed using post-SARS-CoV-2 online questionnaires and virtual visits. Hospitalized adults from the pre-SARS-CoV-2 era served as historical controls. 40% of hospitalized patients develop neurological sequelae in the year after recovery from acute COVID-19 infection. Age, disease severity, and COVID-19 infection itself was associated with additional risk for neurological sequelae in our cohorts. Glial fibrillary astrocytic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain (NF-L) were significantly elevated in SARS-CoV-2 infection. After adjusting for age, sex, and disease severity, GFAP and NF-L remained significantly associated with longer term neurological symptoms in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. GFAP and NF-L warrant exploration as biomarkers for long-term neurologic complications after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Published in iScience

ISSN: 2589-0042 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.cell.com/iscience/home

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