Abstract
BackgroundLong-term effects of COVID-19, also called Long COVID, affect more than 10% of patients. The most severe cases (i.e. those requiring hospitalization) present a higher frequency of sequelae, but detailed information on these effects is still lacking. The objective of this study is to identify and quantify the frequency and outcomes associated with the presence of sequelae or persistent symptomatology (SPS) during the 6 months after discharge for COVID-19.MethodsRetrospective observational 6-month follow-up study conducted in four hospitals of Spain. A cohort of all 969 patients who were hospitalized with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 from March 1 to April 15, 2020, was included. We collected all the SPS during the 6 months after discharge reported by patients during follow-up from primary care records. Cluster analyses were performed to validate the measures. The main outcome measures were return to the Emergency Services, hospital readmission and post-discharge death. Surviving patients’ outcomes were collected through clinical histories and primary care reports. Multiple logistic regression models were applied.ResultsThe 797 (82.2%) patients who survived constituted the sample followed, while the rest died from COVID-19. The mean age was 63.0 years, 53.7% of them were men and 509 (63.9%) reported some sequelae during the first 6 months after discharge. These sequelae were very diverse, but the most frequent were respiratory (42.0%), systemic (36.1%), neurological (20.8%), mental health (12.2%) and infectious (7.9%) SPS, with some differences by sex. Women presented higher frequencies of headache and mental health SPS, among others. A total of 160 (20.1%) patients returned to the Emergency Services, 35 (4.4%) required hospital readmission and 8 (1.0%) died during follow-up. The main factors independently associated with the return to Emergency Services were persistent fever, dermatological SPS, arrythmia or palpitations, thoracic pain and pneumonia.ConclusionsCOVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization during the first wave of the pandemic developed a significant range of mid- to long-term SPS. A detailed list of symptoms and outcomes is provided in this multicentre study. Identification of possible factors associated with these SPS could be useful to optimize preventive follow-up strategies in primary care for the coming months of the pandemic.
Highlights
Identification of possible factors associated with these SPS could be useful to optimize preventive follow-up strategies in primary care for the coming months of the pandemic
We provided a detailed list of SPS during the 6 months after discharge and described which of these SPS are associated with negative outcomes
A high prevalence of dermatological symptoms related to COVID-19 has been reported since the beginning of the pandemic [46], we did not find any studies reporting these frequencies in follow-up cohorts. These symptoms were associated with return to the Emergency Services, possibly because they are visible and worrying to patients, but we found no association with mortality or hospital readmission
Summary
Long-term effects of COVID-19, called Long COVID, affect more than 10% of patients. The most severe cases (i.e. those requiring hospitalization) present a higher frequency of sequelae, but detailed information on these effects is still lacking. During the so-called first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a rapid progression of the infection was reported in China and worldwide [1, 2]. This progression led to a significant number of severe cases that required hospitalization and intensive care [3]. New efforts focused on identifying the potential short-term sequelae following COVID-19 infection, especially in higher-risk cases requiring longer hospital care, the so-called post-discharge syndrome [12]. The lethality and factors related to COVID-19 are being thoroughly analysed but, given the high number of hospitalized patients and the potential morbidity it could generate, further research on possible sequelae after hospitalization is still required
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