Abstract
Introduction A large proportion of patients experiences a wide range of sequelae after acute COVID-19, especially after severe illness. The long-term health sequelae need to be assessed. Our objective was to longitudinally assess persistence of symptoms and clusters of symptoms up to 12 months after hospitalization for COVID-19, and to assess determinants of the main persistent symptoms.
Methods In this multicenter prospective cohort study patients with COVID-19 are followed up for 2 years with measurements at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after hospital discharge. Here, we present interim results regarding persistent symptoms up to 12 months.
Results We included 492 patients; mean age was 60.2±10.7 years, 335 (68.1%) males, median length of hospital stay 11 (6.0–27.0) days. At 3 months after discharge 97.0% of the patients had at least 1 persisting symptom, this declined to 95.5% and 92.0% at 6 and 12 months, respectively (p=0.010).
Muscle weakness, exertional dyspnea, fatigue, and memory and concentration problems were the most prevalent symptoms with rates over 50% during follow-up. Over time, muscle weakness, hair loss, and exertional dyspnea decreased significantly (p<0.001), while other symptoms, such as fatigue, concentration and memory problems, anosmia, and ageusia persisted. Symptoms from the physical and respiratory cluster declined significantly over time, in contrast to the fatigue and cognitive symptomclusters.
Conclusion The majority of patients experienced COVID-19 sequelae up to 12 months after severe infection. Whereas physical and respiratory symptoms showed slow gradual decline, fatigue and cognitive symptoms did not evidently resolve over time.
Footnotes
This manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the ERJ Open Research. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJOR online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.
Conflicts of interest: Lotte Martine Bek has received support for the present manuscript from ZonMw COVID-19 program, Rijndam rehabilitation and Laurens.
Conflicts of interest: Julia C. Berentschot has received support for the present manuscript from ZonMw COVID-19 program, Rijndam rehabilitation and Laurens.
Conflicts of interest: Majanka H. Heijenbrok-Kal has received support for the present manuscript from ZonMw COVID-19 program, Rijndam rehabilitation and Laurens.
Conflicts of interest: Michel E. van Genderen has received a research grant from stichting Theia and stichting SGS, outside the submitted work.
Conflicts of interest: HJG (Rita) van den Berg-Emons has received a grant from ZONMW (Dutch organization for health research), outside the submitted work.
Conflicts of interest: Merel Hellemons has received a grant from ZONMW (Dutch organization for health research), outside the submitted work. Merel Hellemons is on the editorial board for the ERJ Open Research.
Conflicts of interest: The remaining authors have nothing to disclose.
This is a PDF-only article. Please click on the PDF link above to read it.
- Received July 15, 2022.
- Accepted July 23, 2022.
- Copyright ©The authors 2022
This version is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence 4.0. For commercial reproduction rights and permissions contact permissions{at}ersnet.org
