Hydroxychloroquine, Interleukin-6 Receptor Antagonists and Corticoid Treatments of Acute COVID-19 Infection: Psychiatric Symptoms and Mental Disorders 4 Months Later

OBJECTIVE: Psychiatric symptoms and mental disorders are common after Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19). Some drugs used to treat acute COVID-19 have psychiatric side effects. We assessed the psychiatric symptoms and mental disorders of patients treated for acute COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), interleukin-6 receptor antagonists (anti-IL-6), and corticoids (CTC). METHODS: We evaluated 177 patients in a day hospital 4 months after acute infection. RESULTS: In a multivariate analysis, HCQ was associated with significant anxiety symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 5.9, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.8−20.0, p = 0.003) and mental disorders (OR = 4.1, 95% CI = 1.2−13.9, p = 0.02). In a bivariate analysis with propensity matched cohorts, HCQ was associated with significant anxiety symptoms (9 patients [50.0%] with significant symptoms in the HCQ group versus 15 [20.1%] in the control group, OR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.3−11.3, p = 0.01). Anti-IL-6 and CTC were not associated with significant psychiatric symptoms or mental disorders. CONCLUSION: We recommend monitoring psychiatric symptoms, especially anxiety, in patients treated with HCQ during COVID-19 infection. Further studies with larger samples and prospective assessments are needed to confirm our results.