Prevalence, pathophysiology, prediction and health-related quality of life of long COVID: study protocol of the longitudinal multiple cohort CORona Follow Up (CORFU) study

Ghossein‐Doha, Chahinda; Wintjens, Marieke S. J. N.; Janssen, Emma B. N. J.; Klein, Dorthe O; Heemskerk, Stella C M; Asselbergs, Folkert W.; Birnie, Erwin; Bonsel, Gouke J.; Bussel, Bas C.T. van; Cals, Jochen; Cate, Hugo Ten; Haagsma, Juanita A.; Hemmen, Bea; Horst, Iwan C C van der; Kietselaer, B.; Klok, Frederikus A.; Kruif, Martijn D. de; Linschoten, Marijke; Santen, Susanne van; Vernooy, Kevin; Westerborg, Rosa; Warlé, Michiel C.; Kuijk, Sander M. J. van

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065142

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(63 reference statements)

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“…We will use the 2021 de nition of post-COVID-19 condition identi ed by the WHO because it appears to be the most standardised and globally applicable de nition so far. This de nition will allow us to compare our data with those of other similar cohorts 14,17,24,25 . Since the WHO de nition includes any symptoms that don't have an alternative diagnosis, it is quite nonspeci c and could cause an overestimation of COVID-19 sequelae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EuCARE-POSTCOVID Study: A Multicentre Cohort Study on Long-Term Post-COVID-19 Manifestations

Varisco,

Bai,

De Benedittis

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background. Post-COVID-19 condition refers to persistent or new onset symptoms occurring three months after acute COVID-19, which are unrelated to alternative diagnoses. Symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, palpitations, pain, concentration difficulties ("brain fog"), sleep disorders, and anxiety/depression. The prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition ranges widely across studies, affecting 10-20% of patients and reaching 50-60% in certain cohorts, while the associated risk factors remain poorly understood. Methods. This multicentre cohort study, both retrospective and prospective, aims to assess the incidence and risk factors of post-COVID-19 condition in a cohort of recovered patients. Secondary objectives include evaluating the association between circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and the risk of post-COVID-19 condition, as well as assessing long-term residual organ damage (lung, heart, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system) in relation to patient characteristics and virology (variant and viral load during the acute phase). Participants will include hospitalised and outpatient COVID-19 patients diagnosed between 01/03/2020 and 01/02/2025 from 8 participating centres. A control group will consist of hospitalised patients with respiratory infections other than COVID-19 during the same period. Patients will be followed up at the post-COVID-19 clinic of each centre at 2-3, 6-9, and 12-15 months after clinical recovery. Routine blood exams will be conducted, and patients will complete questionnaires to assess persisting symptoms, fatigue, dyspnoea, quality of life, disability, anxiety and depression, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Discussion. This study aims to understand post-COVID-19 syndrome's incidence and predictors by comparing pandemic waves, utilising retrospective data. Gender association, especially the potential higher prevalence in females, will be investigated. Symptom tracking via questionnaires and scales will monitor duration and evolution. Questionnaires will also collect data on vaccination, reinfections, and new health issues. Biological samples will enable future studies on post-COVID-19 sequelae mechanisms, including inflammation, immune dysregulation, and viral reservoirs. Trial registration: This study has been registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier NCT05531773.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EuCARE-POSTCOVID Study: A Multicentre Cohort Study on Long-Term Post-COVID-19 Manifestations

Varisco,

Bai,

De Benedittis

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We will use the 2021 definition of post-COVID-19 condition identified by the WHO because it appears to be the most standardised and globally applicable definition so far. This definition will allow us to compare our data with those of other similar cohorts [13,16,23,24]. Since the WHO definition includes any symptoms that don't have an alternative diagnosis, it is quite nonspecific and could cause an overestimation of COVID-19 sequelae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EuCARE-POSTCOVID Study: a multicentre cohort study on long-term post-COVID-19 manifestations

Varisco,

Bai,

De Benedittis

et al. 2023

BMC Infect Dis

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Background Post-COVID-19 condition refers to persistent or new onset symptoms occurring three months after acute COVID-19, which are unrelated to alternative diagnoses. Symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, palpitations, pain, concentration difficulties ("brain fog"), sleep disorders, and anxiety/depression. The prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition ranges widely across studies, affecting 10–20% of patients and reaching 50–60% in certain cohorts, while the associated risk factors remain poorly understood. Methods This multicentre cohort study, both retrospective and prospective, aims to assess the incidence and risk factors of post-COVID-19 condition in a cohort of recovered patients. Secondary objectives include evaluating the association between circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and the risk of post-COVID-19 condition, as well as assessing long-term residual organ damage (lung, heart, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system) in relation to patient characteristics and virology (variant and viral load during the acute phase). Participants will include hospitalised and outpatient COVID-19 patients diagnosed between 01/03/2020 and 01/02/2025 from 8 participating centres. A control group will consist of hospitalised patients with respiratory infections other than COVID-19 during the same period. Patients will be followed up at the post-COVID-19 clinic of each centre at 2–3, 6–9, and 12–15 months after clinical recovery. Routine blood exams will be conducted, and patients will complete questionnaires to assess persisting symptoms, fatigue, dyspnoea, quality of life, disability, anxiety and depression, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Discussion This study aims to understand post-COVID-19 syndrome's incidence and predictors by comparing pandemic waves, utilising retrospective and prospective data. Gender association, especially the potential higher prevalence in females, will be investigated. Symptom tracking via questionnaires and scales will monitor duration and evolution. Questionnaires will also collect data on vaccination, reinfections, and new health issues. Biological samples will enable future studies on post-COVID-19 sequelae mechanisms, including inflammation, immune dysregulation, and viral reservoirs. Trial registration This study has been registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier NCT05531773.

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“…All participants were approached 24 months after COVID-19 infection to respond to the CORFU questionnaire on long COVID outcomes and determinants that was developed by the EuroQol Research Foundation ( 9 ). The CORFU questionnaire was based on an internationally developed basic questionnaire on persistent symptoms after COVID-19.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomarkers of sustained systemic inflammation and microvascular dysfunction associated with post-COVID-19 condition symptoms at 24 months after SARS-CoV-2-infection

Jacobs,

Wintjens,

Nagy

et al. 2023

Front. Immunol.

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IntroductionComprehensive studies investigating sustained hypercoagulability, endothelial function, and/or inflammation in relation to post-COVID-19 (PCC) symptoms with a prolonged follow-up are currently lacking. Therefore, the aim of this single-centre cohort study was to investigate serum biomarkers of coagulation activation, microvascular dysfunction, and inflammation in relation to persisting symptoms two years after acute COVID-19.MethodsPatients diagnosed with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection between February and June 2020 were recruited. Outcome measures included the CORona Follow-Up (CORFU) questionnaire, which is based on an internationally developed and partially validated basic questionnaire on persistent PCC symptoms. Additionally, plasma biomarkers reflecting coagulation activation, endothelial dysfunction and systemic inflammation were measured.Results167 individuals were approached of which 148 (89%) completed the CORFU questionnaire. At 24 months after acute infection, fatigue was the most prevalent PCC symptom (84.5%). Over 50% of the patients experienced symptoms related to breathing, cognition, sleep or mobility; 30.3% still experienced at least one severe or extreme (4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) PCC symptom. Multiple correlations were found between several PCC symptoms and markers of endothelial dysfunction (endothelin-1 and von Willebrand factor) and systemic inflammation (Interleukin-1 Receptor antagonist). No positive correlations were found between PCC symptoms and coagulation complexes.DiscussionIn conclusion, this study shows that at 24 months after acute COVID-19 infection patients experience a high prevalence of PCC symptoms which correlate with inflammatory cytokine IL-1Ra and markers of endothelial dysfunction, especially endothelin-1. Our data may provide a rationale for the selection of treatment strategies for further clinical studies.Trial registrationThis study was performed in collaboration with the CORona Follow-Up (CORFU) study (NCT05240742, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/ NCT05240742).

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Prevalence, pathophysiology, prediction and health-related quality of life of long COVID: study protocol of the longitudinal multiple cohort CORona Follow Up (CORFU) study

Cited by 3 publications

References 39 publications

EuCARE-POSTCOVID Study: A Multicentre Cohort Study on Long-Term Post-COVID-19 Manifestations

EuCARE-POSTCOVID Study: A Multicentre Cohort Study on Long-Term Post-COVID-19 Manifestations

EuCARE-POSTCOVID Study: a multicentre cohort study on long-term post-COVID-19 manifestations

Biomarkers of sustained systemic inflammation and microvascular dysfunction associated with post-COVID-19 condition symptoms at 24 months after SARS-CoV-2-infection

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