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Symptoms Compatible With Long Coronavirus Disease (COVID) in Healthcare Workers With and Without Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection-Results of a Prospective Multicenter Cohort.


ABSTRACT:

Background

The burden of long-term symptoms (ie, long COVID) in patients after mild COVID-19 is debated. Within a cohort of healthcare workers (HCWs), frequency and risk factors for symptoms compatible with long COVID are assessed.

Methods

Participants answered baseline (August/September 2020) and weekly questionnaires on SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) results and acute disease symptoms. In January 2021, SARS-CoV-2 serology was performed; in March, symptoms compatible with long COVID (including psychometric scores) were asked and compared between HCWs with positive NPS, seropositive HCWs without positive NPS (presumable asymptomatic/pauci-symptomatic infections), and negative controls. The effect of time since diagnosis and quantitative anti-spike protein antibodies (anti-S) was evaluated. Poisson regression was used to identify risk factors for symptom occurrence.

Results

Of 3334 HCWs (median, 41 years; 80% female), 556 (17%) had a positive NPS and 228 (7%) were only seropositive. HCWs with positive NPS more frequently reported ≥1 symptom compared with controls (73% vs 52%, P < .001); seropositive HCWs without positive NPS did not score higher than controls (58% vs 52%, P = .13), although impaired taste/olfaction (16% vs 6%, P < .001) and hair loss (17% vs 10%, P = .004) were more common. Exhaustion/burnout was reported by 24% of negative controls. Many symptoms remained elevated in those diagnosed >6 months ago; anti-S titers correlated with high symptom scores. Acute viral symptoms in weekly questionnaires best predicted long-COVID symptoms. Physical activity at baseline was negatively associated with neurocognitive impairment and fatigue scores.

Conclusions

Seropositive HCWs without positive NPS are only mildly affected by long COVID. Exhaustion/burnout is common, even in noninfected HCWs. Physical activity might be protective against neurocognitive impairment/fatigue symptoms after COVID-19.

SUBMITTER: Strahm C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9383387 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Symptoms Compatible With Long Coronavirus Disease (COVID) in Healthcare Workers With and Without Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection-Results of a Prospective Multicenter Cohort.

Strahm Carol C   Seneghini Marco M   Güsewell Sabine S   Egger Thomas T   Egger Thomas T   Leal-Neto Onicio O   Brucher Angela A   Lemmenmeier Eva E   Meier Kleeb Dorette D   Möller J Carsten JC   Rieder Philip P   Ruetti Markus M   Rutz Remus R   Schmid Hans Ruedi HR   Stocker Reto R   Vuichard-Gysin Danielle D   Wiggli Benedikt B   Besold Ulrike U   Kuster Stefan P SP   McGeer Allison A   Risch Lorenz L   Friedl Andrée A   Schlegel Matthias M   Schmid Dagmar D   Vernazza Pietro P   Kahlert Christian R CR   Kohler Philipp P  

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 20220801 1


<h4>Background</h4>The burden of long-term symptoms (ie, long COVID) in patients after mild COVID-19 is debated. Within a cohort of healthcare workers (HCWs), frequency and risk factors for symptoms compatible with long COVID are assessed.<h4>Methods</h4>Participants answered baseline (August/September 2020) and weekly questionnaires on SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) results and acute disease symptoms. In January 2021, SARS-CoV-2 serology was performed; in March, symptoms compatible with l  ...[more]

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