Hospitalized Infections Linked to Higher 2-Year Risk of Psychiatric and Neurologic Disorders: JAMA Psychiatry Study
UK: People hospitalized with infections may face an elevated risk of developing a wide range of psychiatric and neurologic conditions over the following two years, according to a large multicohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry. The findings suggest that infections affecting different body systems can have lasting consequences for brain health, with adults experiencing a greater burden than children.
The study was led by Maxime Taquet from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and analyzed data from the TriNetX US Collaborative Network to examine long-term neuropsychiatric outcomes after hospitalization for infections.
Researchers evaluated health records of 1,062,722 matched pairs of patients hospitalized between 2014 and 2018. Participants had a mean age of 48.4 years, and 51.5% were women. The investigators compared patients hospitalized with infections against those admitted for noninfectious conditions, other infection groups, and the general population. Four age groups and infections involving 10 body systems were assessed, with follow-up extending up to two years after hospitalization.
The study led to the following findings:
- Hospitalization with an infection was associated with an increased risk of most psychiatric and neurologic disorders during the two years following admission across all age groups.
- Although the pattern of increased risk was seen in both children and adults, children had significantly lower absolute increases in psychiatric and neurologic disorders than adults.
- Infectious encephalitides were the strongest infectious risk factor, ranking as the leading risk factor for 7 of 14 disorders and among the top three for 12 of 14 disorders evaluated.
- Other types of infections showed more disorder-specific associations, rather than broadly increasing the risk of multiple conditions.
- The greatest relative increase in risk was observed for encephalitis, while the largest absolute increase was seen for cognitive deficits.
- Among patients with cardiac infections, 19.1% developed cognitive deficits during follow-up compared with 6.7% of those hospitalized for noninfectious conditions.
- Compared with the general population, patients hospitalized with infections also had higher risks of psychiatric and neurologic disorders, with even greater relative differences than those observed when compared with patients hospitalized for noninfectious causes.
The authors noted that the biological mechanisms linking infections to subsequent neuropsychiatric disorders remain unclear and may differ by age and infection type. They suggested that understanding these pathways could improve prevention and treatment of postinfectious complications.
The study was limited by its reliance on electronic health records, inclusion of only hospitalized patients, potential residual confounding, and the inability to assess the impact of recurrent infections or acute infection treatments.
Overall, the findings suggest that hospitalization for acute infections across multiple body systems is associated with an increased two-year risk of psychiatric and neurologic disorders, particularly in adults. The researchers said the results could inform future mechanistic studies and strengthen preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics.
Reference:
Taquet M, Oliver P, Mezher A, et al. Mapping 2-Year Psychiatric and Neurologic Risks After Infections Across Body Systems and Age Groups. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online July 15, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2026.1904
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