Background In COVID-19 survivors a relatively high number of long-term symptoms have been observed. Besides impact on quality of life, these symptoms (now called Post-COVID-Syndrome) may have an impact on functioning and may also hinder to participation in social life in affected people. However, little is known about developing such syndrome a for patients with mild and moderate COVID-19 who did not need hospitalization or intensive care. Methods A cross-sectional study in 1027 patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 was performed in two communities in Bavaria, Germany. The Rehabilitation-Needs-Survey (RehabNeS) including the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) on health-related quality of life, was used. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results In all, 97.5% of patients reported one symptom in the infection stage, such as fatigue, respiratory problems, limitations of the senses of taste and smell, fear and anxiety and other symptoms. In this time period, 84.1% of the participants experienced activity limitations and participation restrictions such as carrying out daily routines, handling stress, getting household tasks done, caring for/supporting others, and relaxing and leisure concerns. In all, 61.9% of participants reported persisting symptoms more than 3 months after infection. These were fatigue, sleep disturbances, respiratory problems, pain, fear and anxiety, and restrictions in movement; 49% of the participants reported activity limitations and participation restrictions. Predominately, these were handling stress, carrying out daily routines, looking after one’s health, relaxing and leisure activities and doing house work. The impacts on quality of life and vocational performance were rather low. Conclusion The results show that long-term symptoms after mild and moderate COVID-19 are common and lead to limitations of activities and participation. However, it seems that in most cases they are not severe and do not lead to frequent or serious issues with quality of life or work ability.

Objective COVID-19 can result in a broad spectrum of dysfunctions, some of which may persist for long periods, requiring long-term rehabilitation. A comprehensive screening tool is therefore necessary to identify these needs. To date, no data exist on satisfaction with medical and therapeutic interventions for COVID-19 in terms of quality and quantity. The aim of this study is to develop a survey for use with COVID-19 patients during and after the end of the acute phase of the disease. Methods Following the definition of dimensions by a group of experts, and a literature search, proven survey instruments were searched for suitable items. In addition, specific questions were developed based on symptoms, and answer options were created with regard to to the complexity of the questions. Results The COVID-19 Rehabilitation Needs Survey (C19-RehabNeS) consists of the established 36- item Short Form Survey (SF-36) together with the newly developed COVID-19-Rehabilitation Needs Questionnaire (C19-RehabNeQ) (11 further dimensions, respectively 57 items). Conclusion C19-RehabNeS is a comprehensive survey to assess functional limitations and rehabilitation needs during and after infection with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The strength of this survey is that it combines the assessment of important rehabilitation needs with assessment of satisfaction with the health services, treatment and therapy during the pandemic (C19-RehabNeQ) and assessment of patients’ quality of life (SF-36). The C19-RehabNeS survey also enables collection of systematic information on patients with Post-COVID-19 syndrome (Long-COVID-19). LAY ABSTRACT COVID-19 can cause a wide range of problems that affect several organ systems, resulting in long-term rehabilitation needs. A comprehensive screening instrument, that can identify these needs, is therefore necessary. The aim of this study is to develop a survey questionnaire for COVID-19 patients. A literature search was performed to identify current assessments concerning previously defined dimensions. A group of experts decided on the useful composition of possible questions. The resulting questionnaire (COVID-19 Rehabilitation Needs Survey; C19-RehabNeS) combines the 36-item Short Form (SF-36) with the newly developed COVID-19 Rehabilitation Needs Quesionnaire (C19-RehabNeQ) (with 11 dimensions and 57 items). The C19-RehabNeS is a comprehensive questionnaire for assessment of functional limitations during and after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The strength of the survey lies in the combination of assessment of 2 important issues: ( i ) rehabilitation needs and satisfaction with health services; and ( ii ) treatment and therapy during the pandemic. The C19-RehabNeS also enables collection of systematic information regarding rehabilitation and other treatments.

BackgroundRecovery from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be impaired by the persistence of symptoms or new-onset health complications, commonly referred to as Long COVID. In a subset of patients, Long COVID is associated with immune system perturbations of unknown etiology, which could be related to compromised immunoregulatory mechanisms.ObjectiveThe objective of this scoping review was to summarize the existing literature regarding the frequency and functionality of Tregs in convalescent COVID-19 patients and to explore indications for their potential involvement in the development of Long COVIDDesignA systematic search of studies investigating Tregs during COVID-19 convalescence was conducted on MEDLINE (via Pubmed) and Web of Science.ResultsThe literature search yielded 17 relevant studies, of which three included a distinct cohort of patients with Long COVID. The reviewed studies suggest that the Treg population of COVID-19 patients can reconstitute quantitatively and functionally during recovery. However, the comparison between recovered and seronegative controls revealed that an infection-induced dysregulation of the Treg compartment can be sustained for at least several months. The small number of studies investigating Tregs in Long COVID allowed no firm conclusions to be drawn about their involvement in the syndrome’s etiology. Yet, even almost one year post-infection Long COVID patients exhibit significantly altered proportions of Tregs within the CD4+ T cell population.ConclusionsPersistent alterations in cell frequency in Long COVID patients indicate that Treg dysregulation might be linked to immune system-associated sequelae. Future studies should aim to address the association of Treg adaptations with different symptom clusters and blood parameters beyond the sole quantification of cell frequencies while adhering to consensualized phenotyping strategies.

Purpose Some patients experience long-term sequelae after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, despite a present post-COVID condition, defined as “any symptom lasting longer than 12 weeks,” only a subset of patients search for medical help and therapy. Method We invited all adults with a positive real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 between March 2020 and September 2021 (n = 4091) in the city of Jena to answer a standardized questionnaire including demographic information, the course of the acute infection and current health status. K-means-clustering of quality of life (QoL) was used to explore post-COVID subgroups. Results A total of 909 participants at a median interval of 367 (IQR 291/403) days after acute infection were included in the analysis. Of those, 643 (70.7%) complained of having experienced persistent symptoms at the time of the survey. Cluster analysis based on QoL revealed two subgroups of people with persistent post-COVID symptoms. Whereas 189/643 participants (29.4%) showed markedly diminished QoL, normal QoL was detected in 454/643 individuals (70.6%). Conclusion Despite persistent symptoms being reported by nearly three quarters of participants, only one-third of these described a significant reduction in QoL (cluster 1), whereas the other two-thirds reported a near-normal QoL (cluster 2), thus indicating a differentiation between “post-COVID disease” and “post-COVID condition”. The prevalence of clinically relevant post-COVID disease was at least 20.7%. Health policies should focus on this subset.

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Das Beschwerdebild der Folgeerscheinungen, die nach einer COVID-19-Erkrankung auch nach Monaten existieren können, wird immer deutlicher: das Post-COVID-Syndrom. Neben verschiedenen Symptomen können auch funktionellen Zusammenhänge bestehen, die die Arbeitsfähigkeit einschränken. Derzeitige Untersuchungen gehen von 10% der Infizierten aus, die dies betrifft. In Deutschland würde dies nach aktuellen Zahlen 380 000 Menschen betreffen. Das Ziel dieser Analyse war es zu zeigen, wie sich die reale und gefühlte Arbeitsfähigkeit bei Patient*innen mit Post-COVID Syndrom darstellt. Methode Der Rehabilitation Needs Questionnaire wird routinemäßig bei Patient*innen mit Post-COVID-Symptomatik bei Vorstellungen in der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover bzw. dem Universitätsklinikum Jena ausgefüllt. Es erfolgte eine deskriptive Analyse der Fragebögen ab April 2021 unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Arbeitsfähigkeit. Ausgeschlossen wurden Patient*innen, die nicht im arbeitsfähigen Alter waren, oder bereits vor der COVID-19-Infektion arbeitsunfähig. Ergebnisse 75 von 81 Fragebögen wurden im entsprechenden Zeitraum von einer Stichprobe im arbeitsfähigen Alter in die Auswertung mit einbezogen (68% von Frauen, 32% von Männern). Das Durchschnittsalter lag bei 42,5 Jahren, die Zeit seit der Infektion im Mittel bei 3 Monaten. 44 der 75 Personen (58,7%) waren zum Zeitpunkt der Befragung arbeitsfähig. Die empfundene Arbeitsfähigkeit wurde im Schnitt mit 5,1 von 10 möglichen Punkten angegeben. Frauen zeigten hier durchschnittlich 6,2 Punkte und Männer 4,7 Punkte. 59,1% (n=26) der Befragten gaben Schwierigkeiten beim Erhalt von notwendigen Therapien an. 31 (41,3%) Personen waren zum Zeitpunkt der Befragung aufgrund der POST-COVID-19-Erkrankung arbeitsunfähig. Das mittlere Alter der Gruppe lag bei 46,6 Jahren. 16 (51,6%) der 31 Proband*innen gaben an ununterbrochen seit der Infektion arbeitsunfähig zu sein. Schwierigkeiten beim Erhalt von notwendigen Therapien hatten in dieser Gruppe 64,5% (n=20). Diskussion Die Rate derer, die nach einer COVID-19-Erkrankung auch nach Monaten noch arbeitsunfähig sind, ist hoch. Notwendige therapeutische Maßnahmen stehen entweder in nicht genügender Anzahl zur Verfügung oder werden trotz entsprechender Indikation nicht ausreichend verordnet. Weitere Untersuchungen sind notwendig, um die Wirksamkeit von Therapien zu belegen und welche Barrieren zur Rückkehr an den Arbeitsplatz bestehen. Die Auswirkungen können bei weiter steigenden Fallzahlen noch über Jahre hinweg Einfluss auf die Wirtschaftskraft des Landes haben.