The role of neurotropism in psychiatric patients with COVID-19

Excerpt

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-2019) has a significant negative psychological impact on psychiatric patients as compared to healthy controls with higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (31. 6%), moderate to severe anxiety (23%), depressive symptoms (22.4%), and suicidal ideations (11.8%) [1]. Psychiatric patients are especially vulnerable for infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the respiratory disease state known as COVID-19 [2]. Medical comorbidities, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension, magnify the risk of infection in the psychiatric population [1, 2]. Factors such as impaired decision making, general psychomotor retardation, and poor adherence to social distancing can contribute to the susceptibility of infection [2]. Moreover, psychiatric patients might not be aware of their personal space or be adherent to self-protection methods, such as handwashing or wearing masks. This poor adherence is especially dangerous due to the mode of transmission of SARS-CoV-2; it spreads mainly through respiratory inhalation of aerosolized droplets through human-to-human spread via asymptomatic incubation carriers [3]. As the viral respiratory droplets are inhaled, it can spread to the lower respiratory tract causing dyspnea and, in some cases, attacking the central nervous system [4, 5]. Due to the role of neurotropism of SARS-CoV-2, the psychiatric complications of COVID-19 and the associated immunoreactivity of the viral illness, should be evaluated by clinicians since exposed psychiatric patients can potentially display an exacerbation of psychosis and mood symptoms. …