Self-Reported Persistent Symptoms at 18 Months and Above Among COVID-19 Non-hospitalized Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2023-08, Vol.15 (8), p.e43239
• Main Authors: Kumar, Suman, Patidar, Vipin, Mudgal, Shiv K, Kumar, Sanjay, Agarwal, Rajat, Gupta, Pratima, Gaur, Rakhi, Varshney, Saurabh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cohort analysis; Comorbidity; COVID-19 vaccines; Diabetes; Divorce; Dyspnea; Epidemiology/Public Health; Family income; Hair loss; Hospitalization; Hypertension; Illiteracy; Infections; Infectious Disease; Marital status; Medical personnel; Olfaction disorders; Preventive Medicine; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Taste disorders
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.43239

Since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, there have been numerous reports of symptoms that have lingered due to COVID-19. However, there is a lack of data concerning these persistent symptoms in non-hospitalized patients. This study sought to examine the prevalence of persistent symptoms at 18 months and beyond following the diagnosis of COVID-19 non-hospitalized patients. A prospective cohort study comprised 212 non-hospitalized adult patients consecutively assessed from data available at tertiary care institutions through telephone interviews. During the interview, participants were routinely questioned about whether they were still experiencing any post-infection symptoms at the time of the study. Total 212 took part in the 18-month or longer follow-up survey. The most commonly reported symptoms during the acute phase were fever (n=149, 70.3%), weakness (n=118, 55.7%), and sore throat (n=100, 47.2%). At the 18-month and above follow-up, 167 patients (78.7%) reported at least one symptom continuing. The most common symptom at this time point was fatigue (n=109, 51.4%), followed by joint pain (n=57, 26.8%), and exertional dyspnea (24.5%). The possibility of symptoms returning after an 18-month follow-up and beyond was significantly lower in patients who had taken the COVID-19 vaccine (OR=0.29; 95% CI: 0.112-0.749; p=0.011) and those did not infect a second time (OR=0.232; 95% CI: 0.057-0.93; p=0.04). The present study reveals that clinical complications persist even at 18 months and beyond during follow-up, with a prevalence similar to earlier follow-up periods, regardless of the severity of the initial COVID-19 infection.