Exploring the trajectory recovery curve of the number of post-COVID Symptoms: The LONG-COVID-EXP-CM Multicenter Study

• Published in: International journal of infectious diseases Vol. 117; pp. 201 - 203
• Main Authors: Fernández-de-las-Peñas, César, Martín-Guerrero, José D., Cancela-Cilleruelo, Ignacio, Moro-López-Menchero, Paloma, Rodríguez-Jiménez, Jorge, Pellicer-Valero, Oscar J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2022; The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases; Elsevier
• Subjects: COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Humans; Longitudinal; Persistent; Recovery; SARS-CoV-2; Short Communication; Symptoms; COVID-19; Persistent; Longitudinal; Recovery; Symptoms
• ISSN: 1201-9712; 1878-3511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2022.02.010

•This multicenter study included 1563 hospitalized patients with COVID-19.•Almost 50% of patients developed ≥3 post-COVID-19 symptoms 6 months after infection.•A trajectory curve reveals overall decrease in the number of post-COVID-19 symptoms. This multicenter study investigated the recovery curve of the number of post-COVID-19 symptoms in previously hospitalized patients using an exponential decay model and mosaic plots. Patients hospitalized during the first wave of the pandemic (from March 10, 2010–May 31, 2020) due to COVID-19 from 5 hospitals in Madrid, Spain were scheduled for 2 telephone interviews at 2 follow-ups with a 5-month period in between and were asked about the presence of post-COVID-19 symptoms. The total number of post-COVID-19 symptoms was monitored. Clinical features, symptoms at hospital admission, and hospitalization data were collected from medical records. A total of 1593 patients who had COVID-19 were assessed 8.4 (T1) and 13.2 (T2) months after hospitalization. The mean number of post-COVID-19 symptoms was 2.6 (SD 2.0) at T1 and 1.5 (SD 1.4) at T2. The trajectory curve showed a decrease in prevalence trend. The analysis also revealed that 985 (61.8%) subjects reported more (T1>T2), 549 (34.5%) equal (T1 = T2), and 59 (3.7%) fewer (T1<T2) post-COVID-19 symptoms in the first tertile (T1: 8.4 months) compared with the second tertile (T2: 13.2 months) assessment. Current trajectory analysis revealed an overall decrease in the tendency in the number of post-COVID-19 symptoms throughout the 2 years after the infection.