biostudies-literatureBowyer RCEEconomic and Social Research CouncilWellcome Longitudinal Population StudyScottish Funding CouncilBritish Heart FoundationMRC Integrative Epidemiology UnitNational Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care Yorkshire and HumberHealth FoundationCRUK Integrative Cancer Epidemiology ProgrammeUK Research and InnovationZoe Global LtdMedical Research CouncilLongitudinal Studies Resource CentreNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR)Chief Scientist OfficeWellcome TrustThe Health FoundationChronic Disease Research Foundation199-210https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9860244biostudies-literatureUnknown38(2)Multiple studies across global populations have established the primary symptoms characterising Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and long COVID. However, as symptoms may also occur in the absence of COVID-19, a lack of appropriate controls has often meant that specificity of symptoms to acute COVID-19 or long COVID, and the extent and length of time for which they are elevated after COVID-19, could not be examined. We analysed individual symptom prevalences and characterised patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms across nine UK longitudinal studies, totalling over 42,000 participants. Conducting latent class analyses separately in three groups ('no COVID-19', 'COVID-19 in last 12 weeks', 'COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago'), the data did not support the presence of more than two distinct syEuropean journal of epidemiologyCharacterising patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms: evidence from nine UK longitudinal studies.PMC9860244NIHR200166WT101597MAES/K005146/1ES/M001660/12301201HDR-9002MR/P023444/1COV-LT-0009217065/Z/19/ZES/W013142/1CZD/16/6]221574/Z/20/Z202802/Z/16/ZC18281/A29019MC_UU_00019/2MC_PC_15018ES/V012789/1MC_UU_00011/3ES/V011650/1G9815508HR03006WT212904/Z/18/ZMC_UU_00011/1216767/Z/19/ZMC_PC_200592076161104036/Z/14/ZMC_PC_20051MC_PC_20059-6MC_PC_20030MR/W021315/1CS/16/4/32482MR/N024397/1Thompson EJWilliams DMShaw RJSteves CJKwong ASFHuggins CTilling KChaturvedi NTimpson NJSterne JACSilverwood RJToms RPloubidis GBBowyer RCEHou BKibble MCONVALESCENCE StudyfalseCharacterising patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms: evidence from nine UK longitudinal studies.Multiple studies across global populations have established the primary symptoms characterising Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and long COVID. However, as symptoms may also occur in the absence of COVID-19, a lack of appropriate controls has often meant that specificity of symptoms to acute COVID-19 or long COVID, and the extent and length of time for which they are elevated after COVID-19, could not be examined. We analysed individual symptom prevalences and characterised patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms across nine UK longitudinal studies, totalling over 42,000 participants. Conducting latent class analyses separately in three groups ('no COVID-19', 'COVID-19 in last 12 weeks', 'COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago'), the data did not support the presence of more than two distinct sy2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Feb2026-03-17T15:25:03.76Z2025-04-05T20:52:23.255ZS-EPMC98602443668064610.1007/s10654-022-00962-6