Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology (Aug 2024)

Social impact of brain fog and analysis of risk factors: Long COVID in Japanese population

  • Lisa Shigematsu,
  • Ryusei Kimura,
  • Hideki Terai,
  • Yu Mimura,
  • Daisuke Ito,
  • Shogyoku Bun,
  • Ho Namkoong,
  • Takanori Asakura,
  • Shotaro Chubachi,
  • Katsunori Masaki,
  • Keiko Ohgino,
  • Jun Miyata,
  • Ichiro Kawada,
  • Makoto Ishii,
  • Ryo Takemura,
  • Soichiro Ueda,
  • Takashi Yoshiyama,
  • Hiroyuki Kokuto,
  • Tatsuya Kusumoto,
  • Ayano Oashi,
  • Masayoshi Miyawaki,
  • Fumitake Saito,
  • Tetsuo Tani,
  • Kota Ishioka,
  • Saeko Takahashi,
  • Morio Nakamura,
  • Yasunori Sato,
  • Koichi Fukunaga

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/acn3.52139
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 8
pp. 2188 – 2200

Abstract

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Abstract Objective To reveal the clinical features and assess risk factors linked to brain fog and its societal implications, including labor productivity, providing valuable insights for the future care of individuals who have experienced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Methods We analyzed a comprehensive cohort dataset comprising 1,009 patients with COVID‐19 admitted to Japanese hospitals. To assess brain fog, we analyzed patients who responded to a questionnaire indicating symptoms such as memory impairment and poor concentration. Results The prevalence of brain fog symptoms decreased 3 months posthospitalization but remained stable up to 12 months. Neurological symptoms such as taste and smell disorders and numbness at hospitalization correlated with a higher frequency of identifying brain fog as a long COVID manifestation. Our findings indicated that advanced age, female sex, a high body mass index, oxygen required during hospitalization, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and elevated C‐reactive protein and elevated D‐dimer levels were risk factors in patients exhibiting brain fog. Additionally, we demonstrated the negative impact of brain fog on labor productivity by presenteeism scores. Interpretations This study clarified the clinical characteristics of patients experiencing brain fog as a long COVID manifestation, specifically emphasizing neurological symptoms during hospitalization and their correlation with brain fog. Additionally, the study identified associated risk factors for its onset and revealed that the emergence of brain fog was linked to a decline in labor productivity.