Fatigue and somatic symptom burden among U.S. adults with current, previous, or no history of long COVID

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: Long COVID is associated with many symptoms, including fatigue. As some with long COVID report remission of symptoms over time, previous long COVID has become increasingly prevalent. This cross-sectional study assessed differences in fatigue and somatic symptom burden among individuals with current, previous, and no history of long COVID symptoms. Methods: An online survey was conducted with United States adults (N = 2,872), with 2,310 reporting never experiencing long COVID, 183 reporting previously experiencing long COVID, and 379 reporting currently experiencing long COVID. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to assess the association of long COVID status with fatigue and somatic symptom burden. Results: Participants were an average age of 41.3, with the majority identifying as female (51.7%), White (87.6%), and non-Hispanic or Latino/e (87.6%). Both fatigue and somatic symptoms were significantly higher among those with both current (ps < 0.001; d = 1.24, 1.38 respectively) and previous long COVID (ps < 0.001; d = 0.42, 0.82 respectively) compared to those reporting never having long COVID. These differences remained after accounting for health behaviors (alcohol use, tobacco use, physical activity, sleep). Conclusions: Long COVID, regardless of current presence, may be associated with fatigue and somatic symptom burden.