Evaluation of the main neurological manifestations in patients from the Post-COVID outpatient clinic of URI Erechim

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the profile of patients treated at the Post-COVID-19 Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic of URI Erechim, the neurological manifestations observed, and to correlate patients’ symptoms with the need for orotracheal intubation. This is an observational, retrospective, and mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative) study. Physiotherapy records of patients receiving care at the Post-COVID-19 Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic, referred by physicians in 2021, were analyzed. The following instruments were employed: the Neurological Manifestations Assessment Questionnaire, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ). Descriptive statistics and MoCA scores were used to compare pre- and post-rehabilitation data using a paired t-test, and to compare intubated and non-intubated participants using a t-test. Values lower than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism 9.2 software. A total of 16 patients were evaluated; most reported neurological symptoms, with 50% presenting memory lapses and 13% demonstrating cognitive deficits. This study concluded that COVID-19 caused short-term neurological damage, but no significant memory or cognitive impairment was detected in the sample, nor was any association observed between orotracheal intubation and cognitive alterations.