ABSTRACT
Objective: A longitudinal study (NeuCovid) was created at UC San Diego to compare the long-term neurological outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in two cohorts, patients with and without prior neurologic disease. Background: While cross-sectional analyses have demonstrated the prevalence of neurological symptoms in the Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), the evolution of these symptoms over time has not yet been well-described. Design/Methods: Participants with neurological symptoms post-acute infection with SARS-CoV-2 were recruited. Team members conducted assessments including a detailed SARS-CoV-2 infection history, neurologic review of systems (scored on 10-point severity scale), neurologic exam, MoCA exam, and self-reported neuropsychiatric questionnaires, at baseline (conducted after acute infection resolved) and at 3-,6-, and 12-month follow-ups. As appropriate, participants were referred for imaging and neuropsychological testing. We report 6-month data, but 12-month data will be available in 2022. Results: 61 participants (69% female, mean age 50.2 years) were enrolled, 18 with prior known neurological disease. Acute COVID-19 disease severity was largely described as mild (44.4%) or moderate (48.1%). To date, 27 participants (74% female, mean age 52.6 years) completed baseline and 6-month follow-up visits. At baseline, the most common symptoms included fatigue (85.2%), headaches (74.1%), memory impairment (59.3%), insomnia (55.6%), and decreased concentration (48.1%). Complete symptom resolution was reported in 33.3% at 6-month follow-up. In the remaining participants at 6 months, persistent memory impairment (68.8%), decreased concentration (61.5%), fatigue (52.2%), insomnia (46.7%), and headache (45.0%) were reported. Average severity score decreased for fatigue (69.4%), headache (64.3%), insomnia (51.3%), decreased concentration (47.6%), and memory impairment (38.6%). Average MoCA scores improved from baseline (n=19, 26.4 to 28.0). Conclusions: Early in neuro-PASC, fatigue and headache were the most common reported symptoms. At 6-month follow-up, memory impairment and decreased concentration were most prominent. Only a third of participants had complete resolution of neuro-PASC symptoms at 6 months.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: As the search for effective treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection continues, the public opinion around the potential use of chloroquine (CQ) in treating COVID-19 remains mixed. AIM: To examine opinion and uptake of CQ for treating COVID-19 in the sub-Saharan African (SSA) region. SETTING: This study was conducted through an online survey software titled SurveyMonkey. METHODS: Anonymous online survey of 1829 SSA countries was conducted during the lockdown period using Facebook, WhatsApp and authors' networks. Opinion and uptake of CQ for COVID-19 treatment were assessed using multivariate analyses. RESULTS: About 14% of respondents believed that CQ could treat COVID-19 and of which, 3.2% took CQ for COVID-19 treatment. Multivariate analyses revealed that respondents from Central (adjusted odds ratios [aOR]: 2.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43, 4.43) and West Africa (aOR: 1.79, 95% CI 1.15, 2.88) had higher odds of believing that CQ could treat COVID-19. Respondents from East Africa reported higher odds for uptake of CQ for COVID-19 than Central, Western and Southern Africans. Knowledge of the disease and compliance with the public health advice were associated with both belief and uptake of CQ for COVID-19 treatment. CONCLUSION: Central and West African respondents were more likely to believe in CQ as a treatment for COVID-19 whilst the uptake of the medication during the pandemic was higher amongst East Africans. Future intervention discouraging the unsupervised use of CQ should target respondents from Central, West and East African regions.