Trajectories of the evolution of post-COVID-19 condition, up to two years after symptoms onset

Abstract

ObjectivesWe aimed to identify trajectories of the evolution of post-COVID-19 condition, up to 2 years after symptom onset. MethodsThe ComPaRe long COVID e-cohort is a prospective cohort of patients with symptoms lasting at least 2 months after SARS-CoV2 infection. We used trajectory modeling to identify different trajectories in the evolution of post-COVID-19 condition, based on symptoms collected every 60 days using the long COVID Symptom Tool. ResultsA total of 2197 patients were enrolled in the cohort between December 2020 and July 2022 when the Omicron variant was not dominant. Three trajectories of the evolution of post-COVID-19 condition were identified: “high persistent symptoms” (4%), “rapidly decreasing symptoms” (5%), and “slowly decreasing symptoms” (91%). Participants with highly persistent symptoms were older and more likely to report a history of systemic diseases. They often reported tachycardia, bradycardia, palpitations, and arrhythmia. Participants with rapidly decreasing symptoms were younger and more likely to report a confirmed infection. They often reported diarrhea and back pain. Participants with slowly decreasing symptoms were more likely to have a history of functional diseases. ConclusionMost patients with post-COVID-19 condition improve slowly over time, while 5% have rapid improvement in the 2 years after symptom onset and 4% have a persistent condition.