Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019: a case report
Abstract Background Patient’s account of personal experiences of having lived through coronavirus disease 2019 is important for understanding the magnitude of the debilitating impact of the infection. There is increasing recognition that the infection impedes multiple functional domains, but to date...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Medical Case Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-021-03104-w |
| _version_ | 1824030576231841792 |
|---|---|
| author | Maria Damianova |
| author_facet | Maria Damianova |
| author_sort | Maria Damianova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Patient’s account of personal experiences of having lived through coronavirus disease 2019 is important for understanding the magnitude of the debilitating impact of the infection. There is increasing recognition that the infection impedes multiple functional domains, but to date the evidence remains scarce. Moreover, to the author’s knowledge, there are no documented cases reporting on research data derived from self-reflective first-person experience. Case presentation The patient was a 59-year-old female psychologist of White self-ascribed ethnicity who had coronavirus disease 2019. She had no history of medical, neurological, or psychiatric conditions and works in a neurosurgery clinic at a large hospital as a psychologist, specializing in neuropsychology. Using the introspective method, she captured the occurrence of neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions she experienced in the acute stage of the illness, which took place in December 2020 and lasted for 17 days. Treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 was conducted in the home environment under medical supervision and followed a standardized protocol adopted at the time in the country. Conclusions The data derived from the first-person experience indicated that among the most salient cognitive functions impacted by the disease were: executive control, working memory, attention, concentration, and processing speed. Furthermore, emotional instability; mood swings; racing, repetitive, or intrusive thoughts; uncontrolled associations; dizziness; fatigue; disbalance; and sleep disturbances featured consistently throughout the illness. The overall profile of these dysfunctions suggests disruption in the overall operation of the brain and particularly in the functioning of the frontal lobes. Although less tangible than the physical symptoms, the neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019 form a distinct cluster that has a highly debilitating impact on a person’s well-being. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T18:42:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a57ab87542c14fe4a30eac8a6decb8d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1752-1947 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T18:42:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Medical Case Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-a57ab87542c14fe4a30eac8a6decb8d32022-12-21T20:10:12ZengBMCJournal of Medical Case Reports1752-19472021-10-011511610.1186/s13256-021-03104-wNeuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019: a case reportMaria Damianova0Neurosurgery Clinic, University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment “Saint Ivan Rilski”Abstract Background Patient’s account of personal experiences of having lived through coronavirus disease 2019 is important for understanding the magnitude of the debilitating impact of the infection. There is increasing recognition that the infection impedes multiple functional domains, but to date the evidence remains scarce. Moreover, to the author’s knowledge, there are no documented cases reporting on research data derived from self-reflective first-person experience. Case presentation The patient was a 59-year-old female psychologist of White self-ascribed ethnicity who had coronavirus disease 2019. She had no history of medical, neurological, or psychiatric conditions and works in a neurosurgery clinic at a large hospital as a psychologist, specializing in neuropsychology. Using the introspective method, she captured the occurrence of neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions she experienced in the acute stage of the illness, which took place in December 2020 and lasted for 17 days. Treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 was conducted in the home environment under medical supervision and followed a standardized protocol adopted at the time in the country. Conclusions The data derived from the first-person experience indicated that among the most salient cognitive functions impacted by the disease were: executive control, working memory, attention, concentration, and processing speed. Furthermore, emotional instability; mood swings; racing, repetitive, or intrusive thoughts; uncontrolled associations; dizziness; fatigue; disbalance; and sleep disturbances featured consistently throughout the illness. The overall profile of these dysfunctions suggests disruption in the overall operation of the brain and particularly in the functioning of the frontal lobes. Although less tangible than the physical symptoms, the neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019 form a distinct cluster that has a highly debilitating impact on a person’s well-being.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-021-03104-wCOVID-19Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctionsCognitive impairmentExecutive dysregulationMood disturbances |
| spellingShingle | Maria Damianova Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019: a case report Journal of Medical Case Reports COVID-19 Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions Cognitive impairment Executive dysregulation Mood disturbances |
| title | Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019: a case report |
| title_full | Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019: a case report |
| title_fullStr | Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019: a case report |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019: a case report |
| title_short | Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019: a case report |
| title_sort | neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions associated with coronavirus disease 2019 a case report |
| topic | COVID-19 Neuropsychological and psychological dysfunctions Cognitive impairment Executive dysregulation Mood disturbances |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-021-03104-w |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariadamianova neuropsychologicalandpsychologicaldysfunctionsassociatedwithcoronavirusdisease2019acasereport |