Abstract
Objectives: To assess the prevalence of and factors associated with post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome 6 months after the onset.
Methods: A bidirectional prospective study. Interviews investigated symptoms potentially associated with COVID-19 6 months after the disease onset of all consecutive adult inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19 attending Udine Hospital (Italy) from March to May 2020. IgG antibodies against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were also evaluated 6 months after the onset of symptoms, at the time of the interview.
Results: A total of 599 individuals were included (320 female, 53.4%; mean age 53 years, SD 15.8) and interviewed 187 days (22 SD) after onset. The prevalence of post-COVID-19 syndrome was 40.2% (241/599). The presence of IgG antibodies was significantly associated with the occurrence of post-COVID-19 syndrome (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.48-4.38, p 0.001) and median SARS-CoV-2 IgG titres were significantly higher in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome than in patients without symptoms (42.1, IQR 17.1-78.4 vs. 29.1, IQR 12.1-54.2 kAU/L, p 0.004). Female gender (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.05-2.27), a proportional increase in the number of symptoms at the onset of COVID-19 (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.59-2.05) and ICU admission OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.18-8.11) were all independent risk factors for post-COVID-19 syndrome. The same predictors also emerged in a subgroup of 231 patients with the serological follow-up available at the time of the interview alongside the proportional increase in anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.02, p 0.04).
Discussion: Prospective follow-up could be offered to specific subgroups of COVID-10 patients, to identify typical symptoms and persistently high anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titres as a means of early detection of post-COVID-19 long-term sequelae.
Keywords: COVID survivors; COVID-19; Chronic COVID; Long COVID; Patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome; Post-COVID syndrome; SARS-CoV-2 antibodies; SARS-CoV-2 serology.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Long COVID, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, post-COVID syndrome, COVID survivors, Chronic COVID, Patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome, SARS-CoV-2 serology., 【초록키워드】 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, serology, Prospective Study, Gender, Symptom, Italy, severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus, coronavirus 2, COVID, Prevalence, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, IgG antibody, IgG antibodies, anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, Early detection, Prospective, female, Patient, ICU admission, age, bidirectional, outpatients, Follow-up, predictor, respiratory, serological, disease, patients, SARS-CoV-2 IgG, Outpatient, disease onset, chronic, subgroup, Inpatient, acute respiratory syndrome, Factor, the interview, 95% CI, independent risk factors, individual, typical symptoms, interview, female gender, syndrome, titre, independent risk factor, Long, Occurrence, identify, significantly, investigated, the disease, evaluated, median, increase in, significantly higher, onset of symptoms, COVID-10, IQR, number of symptom, offered, typical symptom, with COVID-19, without symptom, 【제목키워드】 Hospitalized, Symptom, acute infection, Patient,