Reacción a "Reactions: brain health of patients hospitalized for covid worsened similar to that of others admitted with similar severity"

The study by Costanza Peinkhofer et al. published in JAMA Network Open is, overall, a well-designed study that provides valuable information on the long-term consequences of covid-19 on brain health. Its strengths include:   

• Relevant clinical context: addresses an important question about the cognitive and neurological sequelae of covid-19 compared with other serious diseases.   
• Rigorous methodology: it uses a comparative approach with multiple control groups, which strengthens the validity of its findings.   
• Diverse population and adequate sample size: includes patients from two academic hospitals, which increases the generalizability of the results.   
• Long-term follow-up: The follow-up duration of 18 months allows observation of long-term effects.   

However, as in all research, it is important to consider possible limitations:   

• Population limited to two hospitals: this may affect the generalizability of results to other populations and settings.   
• Observational design: although meticulous, an observational study cannot establish definitive causality.   
• Potential confounding variables: although multiple factors were controlled for, there is always a risk of unmeasured variables affecting the results.   

These limitations are common in clinical studies and do not significantly diminish the quality of the study, but it is important to keep them in mind when interpreting the results.  

The study aligns with the growing evidence on the long-term effects of covid-19, but brings a unique comparative perspective in assessing post-covid brain health relative to other serious diseases. It stands out by showing that, although covid-19 patients experience cognitive decline, their situation is not significantly worse than that of patients hospitalized for other reasons. This is novel in that it separates covid-19-specific effects from those associated with hospitalization in general.   

We are still in the infancy of knowledge about the long-term effects covid-19 may have on our brains, but the implications are significant for the understanding and treatment of covid-19 survivors. It could influence how healthcare professionals approach cognitive and neurological recovery and the formulation of public health policies to support post-covid patients. In addition, it underscores the importance of considering the long-term effects of hospitalization, regardless of cause.