SARS-CoV-2 emergency and long-term cognitive impairment in older people

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 infection has spread to all continents, affecting particularly older people. The complexity of SARS-CoV2 infection is still under study. Despite respiratory involvement is the main clinical manifestation of COVID-19, neurological manifestations are common. Although it is obvious to give priority to infectious emergency and the infectious disease itself, at present, however, data on potential long-term damages generally and on long-term cognitive functions impairment of older COVID-19 survivors have yet to be investigated. Because the hypothesis on the involvement of SARS-CoV-2 on the long-term cognitive decline pathogenesis would seem difficult to prove, we wanted to explore the brain mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2, in order to provide more in-depth analysis and to draw attention to a topic relevant to basic scientific research and, more generally, to the elderly population.Looking forward, we argue that an early clinical and instrumental cognitive assessment can help prevent and slow down this possible complication or at least improve the quality of life for older people Covid-19 survivor.