Dataset Information

Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 "long haulers".

ABSTRACT:

Objective

We characterized the evolution of neurologic symptoms and self-perceived recovery of non-hospitalized COVID-19 "long haulers" 6-9 months after their initial Neuro-COVID-19 clinic evaluation.

Methods

In this follow-up study on the first 100 patients, 50 SARS-CoV-2 laboratory-positive (SARS-CoV-2⁺ ), and 50 laboratory-negative (SARS-CoV-2^- ), evaluated at our Neuro-COVID-19 clinic between May and November 2020, patients completed phone questionnaires on their neurologic symptoms, subjective impression of recovery and quality of life.

Results

Of 52 patients who completed the study (27 SARS-CoV-2⁺ , 25 SARS-CoV-2^- ) a median 14.8 (range 11-18) months after symptom onset, mean age was 42.8 years, 73% were female, and 77% were vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2. Overall, there was no significant change in the frequency of most neurologic symptoms between first and follow-up evaluations, including "brain fog" (81 vs. 71%), numbness/tingling (69 vs. 65%), headache (67 vs. 54%), dizziness (50 vs. 54%), blurred vision (34 vs. 44%), tinnitus (33 vs. 42%), and fatigue (87 vs. 81%). However, dysgeusia and anosmia decreased overall (63 vs. 27%, 58 vs. 21%, both p < 0.001). Conversely, heart rate and blood pressure variation (35 vs. 56%, p = 0.01) and gastrointestinal symptoms (27 vs. 48%, p = 0.04) increased at follow-up. Patients reported improvements in their recovery, cognitive function, and fatigue, but quality of life measures remained lower than the US normative population (p < 0.001). SARS-CoV-2 vaccination did not have a positive or detrimental impact on cognitive function or fatigue.

Interpretation

Non-hospitalized COVID-19 "long haulers" continue to experience neurologic symptoms, fatigue, and compromised quality of life 14.8 months after initial infection.

SUBMITTER: Ali ST

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9268866 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 "long haulers".

Ali Sareen T ST Kang Anthony K AK Patel Tulsi R TR Clark Jeffrey R JR Perez-Giraldo Gina S GS Orban Zachary S ZS Lim Patrick H PH Jimenez Millenia M Graham Edith L EL Batra Ayush A Liotta Eric M EM Koralnik Igor J IJ

Annals of clinical and translational neurology 20220524 7

<h4>Objective</h4>We characterized the evolution of neurologic symptoms and self-perceived recovery of non-hospitalized COVID-19 "long haulers" 6-9 months after their initial Neuro-COVID-19 clinic evaluation.<h4>Methods</h4>In this follow-up study on the first 100 patients, 50 SARS-CoV-2 laboratory-positive (SARS-CoV-2<sup>+</sup> ), and 50 laboratory-negative (SARS-CoV-2<sup>-</sup> ), evaluated at our Neuro-COVID-19 clinic between May and November 2020, patients completed phone questionnaires ...[more]

PMID: 35607826

Similar Datasets

Project description:A substantial proportion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors continue to suffer from long-COVID-19 (LC) symptoms. Our study aimed to determine the risk factors for LC by using a patient population from Northern Cyprus. Subjects who were diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in our university hospital were invited and asked to fill in an online questionnaire. Data from 296 survivors who had recovered from COVID-19 infection at least 28 days prior the study was used in the statistical analysis. For determination of risk factors for "ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (OSC)" and "Post-COVID-19 (PSC)" syndromes, the patient population was further divided into group 1 (Gr1) and group 2 (Gr2), that included survivors who were diagnosed with COVID-19 within 4-12 weeks and at least three months prior the study, respectively. The number of people with post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection was 266 (89.9%). B.1.617.2 (Delta) (41.9%) was the most common SARS-CoV-2 variant responsible for the infections, followed by BA.1 (Omicron) (34.8%), B.1.1.7 (Alpha) (15.5%), and wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (7.8%). One-hundred-and-nineteen volunteers (40.2%) stated an increased frequency of COVID-19-related symptoms and experienced the symptoms in the week prior to the study. Of those, 81 (38.8%) and 38 (43.7%) were from Gr1 and Gr2 groups, respectively. Female gender, chronic illness, and symptomatic status at PCR testing were identified as risk factors for developing OSC syndrome, while only the latter showed a similar association with PSC symptoms. Our results also suggested that ongoing and persistent COVID-19-related symptoms are not influenced by the initial viral cycle threshold (Ct) values of the SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-2 variant as well as vaccination status and type prior to COVID-19. Therefore, strategies other than vaccination are needed to combat the long-term effect of COVID-19, especially after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, and their possible economic burden on healthcare settings.

Dataset Information

Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 "long haulers".

Objective

Methods

Results

Interpretation

Publications

Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 "long haulers".

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets