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Dtsch Arztebl Int
. 2022 Mar 11;(Forthcoming):arztebl.m2022.0147.
doi: 10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0147. Online ahead of print.
Persisting Symptoms After COVID-19-Prevalence and Risk Factors in a Population-Based Cohort
Christian Förster, Miriam Giovanna Colombo, Anna-Jasmin Wetzel, Peter Martus, Stefanie Joos
- PMID: 35236547
- DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0147
Abstract
Background: After recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a considerable number of patients report long-term sequelae. The epidemiologic data vary widely in the studies published to date, depending on the study design and the patient cohorts analyzed. Using a population-based approach, we report symptoms and clinical characteristics following COVID-19 (long COVID), focusing on symptoms ≥12 weeks (post-COVID-19).
Methods: In three German administrative districts, all adult patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 confirmed by PCR between March and September 2020 (n = 4632) were invited to complete a questionnaire. Predictors for post-COVID-19 were identified by multiple ordinal regression analysis. Study registration: DRKS00023069.
Results: A total of 1459 patients were included in the study, 175 (12%) of whom had been hospitalized for treatment of the acute phase of COVID-19. The prevalence of post-COVID-19 was 72.6% (n = 127) and 46.2% (n = 588) for hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients, respectively. The most frequent long-term symptoms were fatigue (41.5% of all symptoms ≥12 weeks, n = 297), physical exhaustion (40.8%, n = 292), difficulty in concentrating (30.6%, n = 219), ageusia (25.9%, n = 185), and anosmia (25.5%, n = 182). Quality of life was significantly impaired in patients with post-COVID-19. The strongest risk factors for post-COVID-19 were female sex, overall severity of comorbidities, and severity of acute COVID-19.
Conclusion: Patients who are not hospitalized also frequently experience continued symptoms following COVID-19. The heterogeneity of symptoms calls for a multidisciplinary stepped-care approach, for which identification of patients at risk is crucial. A limitation of the study is the lack of a control group.