Beyond the acute: pain in long COVID survivors at 1.5 years.

OBJECTIVE: Long COVID, characterized by persistent symptoms post-acute COVID-19, remains a subject of intense investigation. This study focuses on pain, a common and notable symptom reported by long COVID patients. METHOD: A cohort of 191 individuals, initially diagnosed with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, was followed up 1.5 years later to assess the frequency, clinical characteristics, and factors associated with pain persistence. RESULTS: Our study revealed that 31.9% of participants experienced at least one persistent pain symptom after 1.5 years. Headache emerged as the most prevalent symptom (29.8%), followed by myalgia (5.8%) and neuropathic pain (4.2%). Factors such as female gender and the presence of neuropathic pain symptom were identified as predictors of long-term headaches. Myalgia, showed associations with headache, arthralgia, and low ferritin levels. Persistent neuropathic pain symptom (4.2%) was linked to older age, female gender, sore throat, and headache. CONCLUSION: This study provides insights into the evolution of pain symptoms over time after COVID-19 infection, emphasizing the interconnection between different pain syndromes. This research contributes to understanding the diverse and evolving nature of pain in long COVID survivors, offering valuable insights for targeted interventions and further investigations into the underlying mechanisms of persistent pain.

Insight into pain syndromes in acute phase of mild-to-moderate COVID-19: Frequency, clinical characteristics, and associated factors.

BACKGROUND: Pain has been frequently described as a clinical feature of COVID-19, and the main pain syndromes that have been associated with the acute phase of this disease so far are headache, myalgia, arthralgia, and neuropathic pain. Understanding the characteristics of pain symptoms is crucial for a better clinical approach. METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed as having COVID-19 using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were included in the study. Patients were asked to complete a 51-item questionnaire via a phone interview, which included questions on demographics, acute COVID-19 symptoms, the presence of pain symptoms, and their characteristics in the acute phase of COVID-19. RESULTS: A total of 222 out of 266 patients with COVID-19 participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 83.5%. A total of 159 patients reported at least one kind of pain syndrome with a prevalence of 71.6%. Myalgia was reported in 110 (49.6%) patients, headache in 109 (49.1%), neuropathic pain symptoms in 55 (24.8%), and polyarthralgia in 30 (13.5%) patients. A total of 66 patients reported only one type of pain, 46 reported two types, 42 reported three types, and five patients reported all four types of pain. Logistic regression analysis showed that there were significant associations between these pain syndromes and a strong association was found between neuropathic pain and headache. CONCLUSION: Pain is a frequently observed symptom of mild-to-moderate COVID-19. There are significant relationships between pain syndromes in COVID-19, which may be due to a sequence of common etiologic factors. SIGNIFICANCE: This study described the main pain syndromes associated acute phase of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and its associated features. Headaches and pain of neuropathic characteristics were prevalent in this sample.