tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Open Forum Infect Dis
. 2024 Mar 6;11(3)
fae027.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae027. eCollection 2024 Mar. Two-Year Longitudinal Study Reveals That Long COVID Symptoms Peak and Quality of Life Nadirs at 6-12 Months Postinfection
Zoe O Demko[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tong Yu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sarika K Mullapudi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], M Gabriela Varela Heslin[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chamia A Dorsey[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Christine B Payton[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jeffrey A Tornheim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paul W Blair[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Shruti H Mehta[SUP] 3 [/SUP], David L Thomas[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yukari C Manabe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Annukka A R Antar[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: Few longitudinal studies available characterize long COVID outcomes out to 24 months, especially in people with nonsevere acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study sought to prospectively characterize incidence and duration of long COVID symptoms and their association with quality of life (QoL) from 1-24 months after mild-to-moderate COVID-19 using validated tools in a diverse cohort of unvaccinated people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 2020.
Methods: At 1-3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months post-COVID-19, 70 participants had orthostatic vital signs measured, provided blood, and completed surveys characterizing symptoms, QoL, and return to pre-COVID-19 health and activities using validated tools (FLU-PRO+, Fatigue Severity Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition, Patient Health Questionnaire Depression 8-Item, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item, 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, EuroQol EQ-5D-5L).
Results: During the study period, 33% of participants experienced long COVID (had not returned to pre-COVID-19 health status and reported at least 1 symptom >90 days postinfection); 8% had not returned to their pre-COVID-19 health status 24 months postinfection. Long COVID symptoms peaked 6 months post-COVID-19, frequently causing activity limitations. Having long COVID was significantly associated with decreased QoL in multiple domains. Frequencies of orthostatic hypotension and tachycardia reflected levels reported in the general population. Within-person weight increased significantly between months 1 and 6. Long COVID was associated with pre-COVID-19 obesity and hyperlipidemia, but not with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels 1-3 months postinfection.
Conclusions: Long COVID occurs in a significant proportion of unvaccinated people, even if the acute illness was not severe. Long COVID prevalence peaked 6-12 months post-COVID-19, and a small proportion of participants still reported not returning to their pre-COVID-19 health status 24 months post-COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; long COVID; longitudinal cohort; quality of life.
. 2024 Mar 6;11(3)
fae027.doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae027. eCollection 2024 Mar. Two-Year Longitudinal Study Reveals That Long COVID Symptoms Peak and Quality of Life Nadirs at 6-12 Months Postinfection
Zoe O Demko[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tong Yu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sarika K Mullapudi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], M Gabriela Varela Heslin[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chamia A Dorsey[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Christine B Payton[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jeffrey A Tornheim[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Paul W Blair[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Shruti H Mehta[SUP] 3 [/SUP], David L Thomas[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yukari C Manabe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Annukka A R Antar[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 38449921
- PMCID: PMC10917418
- DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofae027
Background: Few longitudinal studies available characterize long COVID outcomes out to 24 months, especially in people with nonsevere acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study sought to prospectively characterize incidence and duration of long COVID symptoms and their association with quality of life (QoL) from 1-24 months after mild-to-moderate COVID-19 using validated tools in a diverse cohort of unvaccinated people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 2020.
Methods: At 1-3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months post-COVID-19, 70 participants had orthostatic vital signs measured, provided blood, and completed surveys characterizing symptoms, QoL, and return to pre-COVID-19 health and activities using validated tools (FLU-PRO+, Fatigue Severity Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition, Patient Health Questionnaire Depression 8-Item, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item, 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, EuroQol EQ-5D-5L).
Results: During the study period, 33% of participants experienced long COVID (had not returned to pre-COVID-19 health status and reported at least 1 symptom >90 days postinfection); 8% had not returned to their pre-COVID-19 health status 24 months postinfection. Long COVID symptoms peaked 6 months post-COVID-19, frequently causing activity limitations. Having long COVID was significantly associated with decreased QoL in multiple domains. Frequencies of orthostatic hypotension and tachycardia reflected levels reported in the general population. Within-person weight increased significantly between months 1 and 6. Long COVID was associated with pre-COVID-19 obesity and hyperlipidemia, but not with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels 1-3 months postinfection.
Conclusions: Long COVID occurs in a significant proportion of unvaccinated people, even if the acute illness was not severe. Long COVID prevalence peaked 6-12 months post-COVID-19, and a small proportion of participants still reported not returning to their pre-COVID-19 health status 24 months post-COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; long COVID; longitudinal cohort; quality of life.