Introduction: Infection-triggered perturbation of the immune system,
which was observed after previous coronavirus outbreaks, could induce
psychiatric sequelae. The spreading of the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19)
pandemic could be associated with psychiatric implications. In this study,
we aimed to evaluate the association between inflammatory biomarkers
and the levels of depression and anxiety in patients who recovered from
COVID-19.
Methods: We screened 109 COVID-19 survivor adults for psychiatric
symptoms on the 15th day of follow-up after discharge from the hospital.
The patients were split into two groups, the ones with depression and
anxiety, and the ones without depression or anxiety, after the psychiatric
interview. Self-rating Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety
Inventory (BAI) were applied to assess the levels in patients with
depression and anxiety. We collected and recorded the sociodemographic
information, clinical data, and baseline inflammatory markers.
Results: Higher baseline neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and
systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) were found in patients with
depression and anxiety. Higher levels of depression and anxiety were
found in younger and female patients. Besides, a significant correlation
was found between BAI and ferritin levels in patients with anxiety,
while no association was found between BAI and other inflammatory
biomarkers. Moreover, no significant relationship was found between
BDI scores and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with depression.
Conclusion: COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory and
cardiovascular systems. Nonetheless, psychiatric involvement is not
uncommon and can lead to severe problems if not detected and
managed at an early stage. It is recommended that clinicians should
be vigilant in terms of psychiatric involvement in COVID-19 patients
presenting with high inflammatory parameters.
Keywords: Anxiety, COVID-19, depression, inflammation