Persistent Symptoms in Adult Patients 1 Year After Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Prospective Cohort Study.
Clin Infect Dis
; 74(7): 1191-1198, 2022 04 09.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34223884
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Long COVID is defined as the persistence of symptoms beyond 3 months after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. To better understand the long-term course and etiology of symptoms we analyzed a cohort of patients with COVID-19 prospectively.METHODS:
Patients were included at 5 months after acute COVID-19 in this prospective, noninterventional, follow-up study. Patients followed until 12 months after COVID-19 symptom onset (nâ =â 96; 32.3% hospitalized, 55.2% females) were included in this analysis of symptoms, quality of life (based on an SF-12 survey), laboratory parameters including antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), and SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels.RESULTS:
At month 12, only 22.9% of patients were completely free of symptoms and the most frequent symptoms were reduced exercise capacity (56.3%), fatigue (53.1%), dyspnea (37.5%), and problems with concentration (39.6%), finding words (32.3%), and sleeping (26.0%). Females showed significantly more neurocognitive symptoms than males. ANA titers were ≥1160 in 43.6% of patients at 12 months post-COVID-19 symptom onset, and neurocognitive symptom frequency was significantly higher in the group with an ANA titer ≥1160 versus <1160. Compared with patients without symptoms, patients with ≥1 long-COVID symptom at 12 months did not differ significantly with respect to their SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels but had a significantly reduced physical and mental life quality compared with patients without symptoms.CONCLUSIONS:
Neurocognitive long-COVID symptoms can persist ≥1 year after COVID-19 symptom onset and reduce life quality significantly. Several neurocognitive symptoms were associated with ANA titer elevations. This may indicate autoimmunity as a cofactor in etiology of long COVID.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspects:
Patient_preference
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Clin Infect Dis
Journal subject:
DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS
Year:
2022
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Alemania