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Symptom severity and duration of Long COVID
Clinical Question
What is the prognosis of patients with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection from March 2020 to January 2022?
Bottom line
Approximately 6% of individuals with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection experienced at least 1 of the 3 Long COVID symptom clusters, including persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings, ongoing respiratory problems, and cognitive problems, after adjusting for premorbid health status. Long COVID occurred more often in women, individuals 20 years or older, and those who were hospitalized. Overall, approximately 15% of individuals with persistent symptoms for at least 3 months after onset of the acute infection continued to experience symptoms at 12 months. 1a
Reference
Study design: Systematic review
Funding: Foundation
Setting: Population-based
Synopsis
These investigators pooled data obtained from 54 studies and 2 medical record databases including 1.2 million individuals from 22 countries (mean age: 4 years - 66 years) with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of these, 6.2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 2.4% - 13.3%) experienced at least 1 of the 3 Long COVID symptom clusters, including 3.2% (0.6% - 10.0%) with persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings, 3.7% (0.9% - 9.6%) with ongoing respiratory problems, and 2.2% (0.3% - 7.6%) with cognitive problems, after adjusting for health status before infection. Long COVID clusters occurred significantly more often among individuals admitted to intensive care units (43.1%; 95% UI 22.6% - 65.2%) and general hospital wards (27.5%; 12.1% - 47.8%) compared with those who were not hospitalized (5.7%; 1.9%-13.1%). Long COVID also occurred significantly more often among women and individuals 20 years or older. The mean symptom duration was 9.0 months among hospitalized patients and 4.0 months among those not hospitalized. Overall, 15.1% (95% UI 10.3%-21.1%) of individuals with persistent symptoms at 3 months continued to report symptoms at 12 months.
Reviewer
David C. Slawson, MD
Professor and Vice Chair of Family Medicine for Education and Scholarship
Atrium Health
Professor of Family Medicine, UNC Chapel Hill
Charlotte, NC
Comments
Long Covid
I now know more about long Covid
Symptom severity & Long Covid
6% experience at least 1'Long Covid' symptoms.
15% of those have some degree of symptoms 12 months post-infection.
15% of 6 % is 0.94%.
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post covid syndrome
15% of pts who have sx at 3 mos still have sx at 12 months