One‐year persistent symptoms and functional impairment in SARS‐CoV‐2 positive and negative individuals

Abstract

Background Persistent symptoms of SARS‐CoV‐2 are prevalent weeks to months following the infection. To date, it is difficult to disentangle the direct from the indirect effects of SARS‐CoV‐2, including lockdown, social, and economic factors. Objective The study aims to characterize the prevalence of symptoms, functional capacity, and quality of life at 12 months in outpatient symptomatic individuals tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 compared to individuals tested negative. Methods From 23 April to 27 July 2021, outpatient symptomatic individuals tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 at the Geneva University Hospitals were followed up 12 months after their test date. Results At 12 months, out of the 1447 participants (mean age 45.2 years, 61.2% women), 33.4% reported residual mild to moderate symptoms following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection compared to 6.5% in the control group. Symptoms included fatigue (16% vs. 3.1%), dyspnea (8.9% vs. 1.1%), headache (9.8% vs. 1.7%), insomnia (8.9% vs. 2.7%), and difficulty concentrating (7.4% vs. 2.5%). When compared to the control group, 30.5% of SARS‐CoV‐2 positive individuals reported functional impairment at 12 months versus 6.6%. SARS‐CoV‐2 infection was associated with the persistence of symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.1; 2.60–6.83) and functional impairment (aOR 3.54; 2.16–5.80) overall, and in subgroups of women, men, individuals younger than 40 years, those between 40–59 years, and in individuals with no past medical or psychiatric history. Conclusion SARS‐CoV‐2 infection leads to persistent symptoms over several months, including in young healthy individuals, in addition to the pandemic effects, and potentially more than other common respiratory infections. Symptoms impact functional capacity up to 12 months post infection.

The long and winding road of COVID‐19 in survivors of hospitalisation: Symptoms trajectory and predictors of long COVID

“…We also found that over half of patients evolved with long COVID, particularly those with complicated hospitalisations. Our study corroborates recent research findings and advances knowledge on the long course of COVID by reporting a detailed symptoms trajectory among patients living in an LMIC [ 1 , 2 , 3 ].…”

“…The long and winding road of COVID-19 in survivors of hospitalisation: Symptoms trajectory and predictors of long COVID Dear Editor, As the pandemic advanced, interest grew regarding the long-term course of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1,2]. Previous work described many symptoms that some people experience for months after the acute infection-varying from 13% in population-based studies to 72% in samples of hospitalised patients [3,4].…”

Continuous population-level monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in a large metropolitan region

“…We found that 11.4% of those reporting an infection in the first two pandemic waves (Spring/Summer 2020 and Fall/Winter 2020/2021) still complained about ongoing symptoms after >12 months after infection, and 8.3% had received a diagnosis of post COVID-19 condition (‘long COVID’). While numbers in the literature cover a wide range of about 14-75% potentially affected by post COVID- 19 condition up to one year after diagnosis (Huang et al ., 2021; Menges, Ballouz, et al ., 2021; Sigfrid et al ., 2021; Bull-Otterson et al ., 2022; Heesakkers et al ., 2022; Nehme et al ., 2022), our findings are comparable to those of other population-based studies (Menges, Ballouz, et al ., 2021; Ballouz et al ., 2022). Online health survey participants with known infection reported several symptoms and new medical diagnoses more frequently than those without infection, but differences were not statistically significant and no differences in health status (EQ-5D-5L and EQ VAS) were observed between these groups.…”

Natural course of post COVID-19 condition and implications for trial design and outcome selection: A population-based longitudinal cohort study

“…To date, few studies have reported outcomes related to post COVID-19 condition beyond six months after infection (3,(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). Common study limitations include specific participant populations (e.g., hospitalized) or the lack of a prospective follow-up.…”