The Role of Anxiety and Cortisol in Outcomes of Patients With Covid-19

The Role of Anxiety and Cortisol in Outcomes of Patients With Covid-19

Hossein Pakdaman, Omidvar Rezaei, Leila Simani, Mahtab Ramezani, Ehsan Karimialavijeh, Mohammadreza Hajiesmaeili

Introduction: The outbreak due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is n global public health emergency and challenges psychological resilience. The central nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system are complex interacting systems. Cortisol has been implicated as the cause of a wide range of mental and physical health disorders; however, the impact of cortisol on outcomes in patients with COVID-19 is not clear. Methods: The current study enrolled patients with COVID-19 (onset of disease within 7 days of the first symptom) to evaluate the serum concentration of cortisol and levels of anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to investigate a possible relationship between cortisol, depression, and anxiety levels and outcomes of patients with COVID-19.  Results: A total of 30 patients with COVID-19 were studied. The levels of cortisol and HADS score in patients who died of Covid-19 were significantly higher in comparison with surviving patients (P

2020

Anxiety, covid-19, Stress, cortisol

Basic and Clinical Neuroscience

Iran University of Medical Sciences

Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry