Abstract

Long-term sequelae of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) constitute Long COVID. Although Long COVID has been reported globally, its risk factors and effects on quality of life (QOL) remain unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study using questionnaires and electronic medical records of COVID-19 patients who were diagnosed or hospitalized at five facilities in Japan. Responses were obtained from 285 out of 1,150 patients. More than half of the participants reported Long COVID symptoms of varying severity 1 year after COVID-19. Common sequelae included fatigue, dyspnea, alopecia, concentration problems, memory problems, sleeplessness, and joint pain, which often significantly reduced their QOL. COVID-19 severity was strongly associated with sputum production, chest pain, dyspnea, sore throat, and diarrhea, but not with fatigue, dysgeusia, anosmia, alopecia, and sleeplessness. Fatigue, dysgeusia, anosmia, alopecia, and sleeplessness affected the QOL among participants with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 during the acute phase. Moreover, these sequelae persisted for prolonged periods.

Details

Title
A cross-sectional, multicenter survey of the prevalence and risk factors for Long COVID
Author
Imoto, Waki 1 ; Yamada, Koichi 1 ; Kawai, Ryota 2 ; Imai, Takumi 2 ; Kawamoto, Kengo 3 ; Uji, Masato 3 ; Kanda, Hidenori 4 ; Takada, Minoru 5 ; Ohno, Yoshiteru 6 ; Ohtani, Hiroshi 7 ; Kono, Manami 8 ; Hikiishi, Atsuhito 8 ; Eguchi, Yosuke 8 ; Namikawa, Hiroki 9 ; Kawaguchi, Tomoya 10 ; Kakeya, Hiroshi 11 

 Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Infection Control Science, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0372 2033); Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital, Department of Infectious Disease Medicine, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8); Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital, Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) 
 Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Medical Statistics, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0372 2033) 
 Osaka City Juso Hospital, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) 
 Kinshukai Hanwa The Second Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) 
 Kinshukai Hanwa The Second Senboku Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Sakai-City, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) 
 Ohno Memorial Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) 
 Ohno Memorial Hospital, Department of Surgery, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) 
 BellLand General Hospital, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) 
 Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Medical Education and General Practice, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0372 2033) 
10  Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Department Respiratory Medicine, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0372 2033) 
11  Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Infection Control Science, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0372 2033); Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital, Department of Infectious Disease Medicine, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8); Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital, Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8); Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Research Center for Infectious Disease Sciences, Osaka, Japan (GRID:grid.258799.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0372 2033) 
Pages
22413
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2758461950
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.