Cognitive impairment and COVID‐19 in an urban indigenous community from Amazonas

Abstract

Background: Like all minority groups worldwide, indigenous populations were most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in low-middle income countries (LMICs). However, little is known about the relationship between previous COVID-19 and cognitive performance. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of cognitive impairment and its relationship with previous COVID-19 in indigenous mid-aged and older adults. Methods: Using a cross-section approach, 134 indigenous people, 50 years and older, from an urban dwelling community located in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, were evaluated for cognitive impairment and previous covid-19 disease. Cognitive impairment (CI) was based on consensus diagnostic guided by the following criteria: 1) scores on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≤ 14 for illiterate subjects and ≤ 19 for literate subjects (mean minus two standard deviations); 2) scores ≤ 8 on verbal fluency or ≤ 7 on delayed recall on the Brief Battery for Cognitive Screening. All those tests and criteria were already used in Brazil's previously indigenous community and population with a low-education level. Results: 30.6% of the urban indigenous community met the criteria for cognitive impairment, among them 48.8% tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic has started. Logistic regression show that low education increases the changes of cognitive impairment (OD = 0.839; 95% CI = 0.748 -0.942; p = 0.003) while previous COVID-19 did not (OD = 0.495; 95% CI = 0.224 -1.094; p = 0.082). Conclusion:The prevalence of cognitive impairment in an urban community of Brazilian indigenous people increased in older adults with lower education levels regardless of previous COVID-19.