Evaluation of Neuropsychiatric outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a nationwide Veterans Health Administration cohort.

• Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 may experience increased healthcare utilization related to neuropsychiatric inpatient settings. • Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had increased utilization of outpatient mental health services. • Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 may be at increase risk of developing depression or dementia compared to those without COVID-19. Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 have an increased risk of developing psychiatric symptoms associated with post-COVID-19 syndrome. We aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 hospitalization on neuropsychiatric healthcare utilization as well as new-onset depression and dementia. This nationwide, retrospective, observational cohort study included hospitalized COVID-19 patients aged 18 years or older across the Veterans Health Administration database from January 1st, 2020 through January 1st, 2022. The COVID-19 group consisted of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 with a positive test within seven days of the hospitalization. The control group consisted of patients hospitalized for reasons other than COVID-19 without a prior positive test or during the study duration. Propensity scores were utilized for 1:1 matching. This study included 50,805 patients in each matched cohort. Average patient population was 69 years old with ∼93 % male. The primary outcome of psychiatry-related hospitalization incidence rates were significantly higher in the COVID-19 group at both 90 days and 180 days. There was also a significant increase in the incidence outpatient mental health visits at 180 days in the COVID-19 cohort. Significantly higher risk of new-onset depression and new-onset dementia in the COVID-19 hospitalization group at 180 days as compared to the non-COVID-19 cohort was noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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