Findings of Long‐Term Depression up to 8 Years Post Infection From West Nile Virus

OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychological sequelae following West Nile virus (WNV) infection among a large cohort of participants over an 8-year period. DESIGN: We conducted a longitudinal study to assess mental health outcomes among a cohort of 171 WNV-positive participants in Houston, Texas. RESULTS: We found 35% of participants met the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale definition for new onset clinical depression. Multivariate analysis found that severe depression was significantly associated with gender and physical disability (Barthel index score <100) at 5 years post-WNV infection. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners should be aware of depression as a possible outcome in patients who were infected with WNV and include this as a part of their routine assessment.