Initial COVID-19 Severity and Long-COVID Manifestations: An Observational Analysis

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: New-onset or persistent symptoms beyond after 4 weeks from COVID-19 are termed “long-COVID.” Whether the initial severity of COVID-19 has a bearing on the clinicoradiological manifestations of long COVID is an area of interest. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We did an observational analysis of the long-COVID patients after categorizing them based on their course of COVID-19 illness into mild, moderate, and severe groups. The clinical and radiological profile was compared across these groups. RESULTS: Out of 150 long-COVID patients recruited in the study, about 79% (118), 14% (22), and 7% (10) had a history of mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19, respectively. Fatigue ( P = .001), breathlessness ( P = .001), tachycardia ( P = .002), tachypnea ( P < .001), raised blood pressure ( P < .001), crepitations ( P = .04), hypoxia at rest ( P < .001), significant desaturation in 6-minute walk test ( P = .27), type 1 respiratory failure ( P = .001), and type 2 respiratory failure ( P = .001) were found to be significantly higher in the long-COVID patients with a history of severe COVID-19. These patients also had the highest prevalence of abnormal chest X-ray (60%) and honeycombing in computed tomography scan thorax (25%, P = .027). CONCLUSION: The course of long COVID bears a relationship with initial COVID-19 severity. Patients with severe COVID-19 are prone to develop more serious long-COVID manifestations.

Prone position versus usual care in hypoxemic COVID-19 patients in medical wards: a randomised controlled trial

“…Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause pneumonia ranging from mild to severe grades ( 1 , 2 ). The mainstay of treatment for COVID-19 pneumonia includes antiviral drugs such as remdesivir ( 3 , 4 ) and anti-inflammatory drugs such as dexamethasone ( 5 , 6 ).…”