AAIC 2022 | Anosmia severity predicts persistent cognitive impairment following COVID-19

Gabriela Gonzalez-Aleman, PhD, Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina, discusses the one-year data from a prospective cohort study investigating neuropsychiatric sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in older adults in Argentina. Of 865 participants, 84% tested positive for exposure to COVID-19 and were recruited between 3-6 months after recovery. Clinical assessment using Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) showed functional memory impairments in two thirds of infected patients, which was severe in half of them. Memory only impairment (11.7%), impairment in attention and executive function without memory impairment (8.3%) and multiple domain impairment (11.6%) were also investigated. It was shown that the severity of anosmia, but not COVID-19 severity, significantly predicted cognitive impairment. This interview took place at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2022 in San Diego, CA.