Metabolic Profile of Patients With Long Covid: a Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

A significant proportion of patients experience a wide range of symptoms following acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Laboratory analyses of long COVID have demonstrated changes in metabolic parameters, suggesting that it is one of the many outcomes induced by long COVID. Here, we illustrate the clinical and laboratory markers related to the course of the disease in patients with long COVID. Participants were selected using a clinical care programme for long COVID in the Amazon region. Clinical and sociodemographic data and glycaemic, lipid, and inflammatory screening markers were collected, and cross-sectionally analysed between the long COVID-19 outcome groups. Of the 215 participants, most were female, not elderly, and 78 were hospitalised during the acute COVID-19 phase. The main long-term COVID symptoms reported were fatigue, dyspnoea, and muscle weakness. High body mass index and high triglyceride, HbA1c, and ferritin levels were related to worse long COVID scenarios. Our main findings indicate that abnormal metabolic profiles are related to worse long COVID presentations, suggesting that patients with long COVID may be more likely to develop clinical complications related to metabolic syndrome.