Characteristics and predictors of Long COVID among diagnosed cases of COVID-19

Abstract

Background Long COVID or long-term symptoms after COVID-19 has the ability to affect health and quality of life. Knowledge about the burden and predictors could aid in their prevention and management. Most of the studies are from high-income countries and focus on severe acute COVID-19 cases. We did this study to estimate the incidence and identify the characteristics and predictors of Long COVID among our patients. Methodology We recruited adult (≥18 years) patients who were diagnosed as Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) confirmed SARS-COV-2 infection and were either hospitalized or tested on outpatient basis. Eligible participants were followed up telephonically after four weeks and six months of diagnosis of SARS-COV-2 infection to collect data on sociodemographic, clinical history, vaccination history, Cycle threshold (Ct) values during diagnosis and other variables. Characteristics of Long COVID were elicited, and multivariable logistic regression was done to find the predictors of Long COVID. Results We have analyzed 487 and 371 individual data with a median follow-up of 44 days (Inter quartile range (IQR): 39,47) and 223 days (IQR:195,251), respectively. Overall, Long COVID was reported by 29.2% (95% Confidence interval (CI): 25.3%,33.4%) and 9.4% (95% CI: 6.7%,12.9%) of participants at four weeks and six months of follow-up, respectively. Incidence of Long COVID among patients with mild/moderate disease (n = 415) was 23.4% (95% CI: 19.5%,27.7%) as compared to 62.5% (95% CI: 50.7%,73%) in severe/critical cases(n = 72) at four weeks of follow-up. At six months, the incidence among mild/moderate (n = 319) was 7.2% (95% CI:4.6%,10.6%) as compared to 23.1% (95% CI:12.5%,36.8%) in severe/critical (n = 52). The most common Long COVID symptom was fatigue. Statistically significant predictors of Long COVID at four weeks of follow-up were—Pre-existing medical conditions (Adjusted Odds ratio (aOR) = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.16,3.44), having a higher number of symptoms during acute phase of COVID-19 disease (aOR = 11.24, 95% CI: 4.00,31.51), two doses of COVID-19 vaccination (aOR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.17,4.58), the severity of illness (aOR = 5.71, 95% CI: 3.00,10.89) and being admitted to hospital (Odds ratio (OR) = 3.89, 95% CI: 2.49,6.08). Conclusion A considerable proportion of COVID-19 cases reported Long COVID symptoms. More research is needed in Long COVID to objectively assess the symptoms and find the biological and radiological markers.

The aftermath of Post COVID-19 Condition in Italy and the United States: an ecological comparison

“…Secondly, one third of the positive effect is due to a lower prevalence, in Italy, of underlying conditions likely associated with a higher risk of developing PCC, as widely supported in literature [30][31][32][33]. Interestingly, nonmodifiable risk factors are unlikely to determine differences between the two nations, as both older age and female-male ratio are similar in both countries [34].…”

Female and smokers are associated with acute and long COVID-19 symptoms among 32,528 vaccination individuals: a cross-sectional and nationwide study from China

“…Moreover, in Eastern India, researchers found that 29.2% self-reported having long COVID symptoms 4 weeks after diagnosis [53], however they also found that the prevalence on long COVID after infection with only Omicron variant was 8.2% [54]. Lastly, prior studies have also supported that vaccination could reduce the risk of the post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 [55][56][57].…”

Course of fatigue among patients previously hospitalised due to COVID-19

“…For example, a longitudinal observation of 371 patients from India confirmed that predictors of long COVID, with fatigue being its most common self-reported symptom, included pre-existing medical conditions, vaccination status, a higher number of acute COVID-19 symptoms, and the severity of infection, but not sex [14]. In a cross-sectional study of two urban centres in Spain among 360 hospitalised patients assessed via telephone interviews two years after the acute phase of the SARS-CoV-2 infection, it was found that a number of comorbidities and dyspnoea were associated with post-COVID fatigue, but not sex [15].…”