Increased incidence of mild cognitive impairment in long COVID patients.

Alzheimers Dement 2026

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Though brain fog is common in Long-coronavirus disease 2019 (Long-COVID), the incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is unknown. METHODS: In an observational cohort study, recovered COVID-positive, Long-COVID, and COVID-negative subjects underwent blinded evaluation using National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) and National Institute on Aging (NIA) -Alzheimer’s Association diagnostic criteria for dementia and MCI. The cumulative incidence of MCI was calculated for each group, and the hazard of MCI was compared between groups. RESULTS: Among 260 subjects, the cumulative incidence of MCI over 4.4 years was higher with Long-COVID (27%) versus recovered-COVID (5%) or COVID-negative status (1%). There was a higher hazard of MCI for patients with Long-COVID compared to those without (hazard ratio [HR] 3.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.86-8.31, p < 0.001), and specifically for the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) -related MCI subtype (HR 3.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-9.00, p = 0.027). DISCUSSION: The cumulative incidence and adjusted hazard of MCI (and specifically AD-related MCI) at 4.4 years was significantly higher among Long-COVID patients compared to recovered-COVID and COVID-negative controls.

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