A-19: COVID-19 Symptom Duration and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults: A Pilot Analysis

Abstract

Objective: Longer symptom duration after COVID-19 has been linked to cognitive change in older adults, but associations with specific cognitive outcomes remain unclear. We examined whether symptom duration after first infection was associated with later cognitive performance in older adults with prior infection. Method/Data Selection: Participants were 100 English-speaking adults aged 55 years and older with documented prior COVID-19, recruited from Mount Sinai COVID-19 Biobank, MyChart, flyers, and community outreach. Evaluations were completed at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Symptom duration after first infection was assessed by questionnaire and coded in six categories: never had symptoms, 4 weeks, or never recovered. Cognitive outcomes included Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) delayed recall, CERAD total, CERAD recognition, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), letter fluency, and Trail Making Test (TMT) Parts A and B. Significant associations were examined in unadjusted and adjusted regression models controlling for age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, and depressive symptoms. Results/Data Synthesis: Longer symptom duration was associated with CERAD delayed recall in unadjusted and adjusted models. In the adjusted model, symptom duration remained significantly associated with delayed recall (estimate = 0.49, SE = 0.21, p = 0.02). Symptom duration was also associated with CERAD total in the unadjusted model, but this association was attenuated after covariate adjustment. Conclusions: In this pilot sample, longer symptom duration following COVID-19 was associated with delayed recall after adjustment for demographic and clinical covariates, suggesting a possible relationship with later memory performance in older adults.