Epidemiologic Features of Recovery From SARS-CoV-2 Infection

• Published in: JAMA network open 2024-06, Vol.7 (6), p.e2417440
• Main Authors: Oelsner, Elizabeth C, Sun, Yifei, Balte, Pallavi P, Allen, Norrina B, Andrews, Howard, Carson, April, Cole, Shelley A, Coresh, Josef, Couper, David, Cushman, Mary, Daviglus, Martha, Demmer, Ryan T, Elkind, Mitchell S V, Gallo, Linda C, Gutierrez, Jose D, Howard, Virginia J, Isasi, Carmen R, Judd, Suzanne E, Kanaya, Alka M, Kandula, Namratha R, Kaplan, Robert C, Kinney, Gregory L, Kucharska-Newton, Anna M, Lackland, Daniel T, Lee, Joyce S, Make, Barry J, Min, Yuan-I, Murabito, Joanne M, Norwood, Arnita F, Ortega, Victor E, Pettee Gabriel, Kelley, Psaty, Bruce M, Regan, Elizabeth A, Sotres-Alvarez, Daniela, Schwartz, David, Shikany, James M, Thyagarajan, Bharat, Tracy, Russell P, Umans, Jason G, Vasan, Ramachandran S, Wenzel, Sally E, Woodruff, Prescott G, Xanthakis, Vanessa, Zhang, Ying, Post, Wendy S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Cardiovascular disease; Cohort analysis; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 vaccines; Female; Humans; Immunization; Infections; Long COVID; Male; Middle Aged; Online Only; Original Investigation; Pandemics; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; Prospective Studies; Public Health; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; United States - epidemiology
• ISSN: 2574-3805; 2574-3805
• DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.17440

Persistent symptoms and disability following SARS-CoV-2 infection, known as post-COVID-19 condition or "long COVID," are frequently reported and pose a substantial personal and societal burden. To determine time to recovery following SARS-CoV-2 infection and identify factors associated with recovery by 90 days. For this prospective cohort study, standardized ascertainment of SARS-CoV-2 infection was conducted starting in April 1, 2020, across 14 ongoing National Institutes of Health-funded cohorts that have enrolled and followed participants since 1971. This report includes data collected through February 28, 2023, on adults aged 18 years or older with self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infection. Preinfection health conditions and lifestyle factors assessed before and during the pandemic via prepandemic examinations and pandemic-era questionnaires. Probability of nonrecovery by 90 days and restricted mean recovery times were estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to assess multivariable-adjusted associations with recovery by 90 days. Of 4708 participants with self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infection (mean [SD] age, 61.3 [13.8] years; 2952 women [62.7%]), an estimated 22.5% (95% CI, 21.2%-23.7%) did not recover by 90 days post infection. Median (IQR) time to recovery was 20 (8-75) days. By 90 days post infection, there were significant differences in restricted mean recovery time according to sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics, particularly by acute infection severity (outpatient vs critical hospitalization, 32.9 days [95% CI, 31.9-33.9 days] vs 57.6 days [95% CI, 51.9-63.3 days]; log-rank P