P-039 Cognitive Impairement and Work Ability in a Cohort of Workers With Previous Sars-Cov-2 Infection

Introduction SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with central nervous system involvement, although the impact on the work performance remains largely unknown. Objectives: To investigate cognitive failure, work performance and serum levels of neurofilaments (sNfL) and acid gliofibrillary protein (sGFAP) as biomarkers of neuronal and glial damage, in a cohort of workers with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods The Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ) and sNfL and sGFAP determination were performed in 150 workers (COVID-19 workers) at the time of negativization after SARS-CoV-2 infection (T0) and after 10 months only in the 50 workers with persistence of symptoms (T1), together with the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire. sNfL and sGFAP were also determined in 90 controls with no previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results sNfL and sGFAP levels at T0 were higher in COVID-19 workers vs controls (median sNfL 22.8 vs 7.2 pg/mL; sGFAP 146.3 vs 63.5 pg/mL; p<0.001 for both). Workers with impaired CFQ at T0 showed higher sNfL and sGFAP levels than those with normal CFQ (median sNfL 45.0 vs 22.4 pg/mL; sGFAP 194.0 vs 131.3 pg/mL; p=0.005 for both). Higher CFQ values were observed at T1 compared to T0 (p<0.01), while sNfL and sGFAP levels were reduced (median sNfL 18.3 pg/mL; median sGFAP 77.2 pg/mL; p<0.001 for both), but always higher than controls. At T1, the 37.5% of workers reported impaired work performance according to WPAI scores. Discussion and Conclusion Cognitive failure observed after SARS-CoV-2 infection could be associated with the persistence of neuronal damage and could influence work performance.