Persistence of somatic symptoms after COVID-19 in the Netherlands: an observational cohort study

Understanding the Post COVID-19 Condition (Long COVID) in Adults and the Expected Burden for Ontario

“…Of the 384,137 infected people and 1,501,689 controls with a minimum of 12 weeks follow-up, 5.4% of infected people and 4.3% of controls reported at least one symptom of the post COVID 19 condition according to the WHO case definition (from a list of over possible 100 symptoms). An observational cohort study used data collected from a larger population-based cohort study in the Netherlands to estimate the prevalence of the post COVID-19 condition among people with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to controls 27. In 4,321 participants with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and 8,462 matched controls without COVID-19 (matched by age, sex, and time), 21.4% of participants with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection experienced at least one symptom of the post COVID-19 condition compared to 8.7% of controls at 90-150 days follow-up (symptoms included chest pain, difficulties with breathing, pain when breathing, painful muscles, loss of taste or smell, tingling extremities, lump in throat, feeling hot and cold alternately, heavy arms or legs, and general tiredness).…”

Liquid biomarkers of macrophage dysregulation and circulating spike protein illustrate the biological heterogeneity in patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19

“…While most individuals mount lasting SARS-CoV-2directed immune responses [3] and the rapid development of effective and safe vaccines helped to prevent severe disease courses and mitigate the pandemic progression, it is now clear that a substantial proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals does not fully recover but has persisting health impairments beyond four weeks of symptom onset that can last for months and significantly impact the quality of life [4,5]. These post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), or post-COVID-19 condition as suggested by the WHO, are reported in 12.7-87% of patients and encompass a wide range of systemic, respiratory, neuropsychiatric and cardiac manifestations including fatigue, head and body aches, memory defects, dyspnea, palpitations as well as sleep and anxiety disorders [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Preexisting comorbidities like obesity and diabetes as well as age and severity of acute disease might represent risk factors, but lasting symptoms are also common among young individuals with mild disease courses and after vaccination [10,11].…”

Long COVID: which symptoms can be attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection?

“…Characteristics such as long-term reduction in comorbidities and overall all-cause mortality, and improvement in quality of life, are crucial, being the most important justifications for adoption of bariatric surgery as the gold standard in the treatment of obesity. 10 Also of interest is the durability of gastric reduction by ESG; here, Abu Dayyeh and colleagues showed its durability on the basis of weight loss outcomes. Although clinically, weight loss is certainly a relevant indicator, tissue apposition tends to stretch open over time, and long-term weight control has been shown to depend on continued restriction of stomach volume through the maintenance of gastric imbrication.…”

“…Symptoms that were present before SARS-CoV-2 infection are often not recorded or assessed by recall. In The Lancet, Aranka V Ballering and colleagues 10 report the findings of a longitudinal cohort study conducted in the north of the Netherlands between April, 2020, and August, 2021, where 23 somatic symptoms were assessed using 24 repeated measurements in digital COVID-19 questionnaires. The study was embedded within the large, population-based Lifelines COVID-19 cohort.…”

“…The pattern of symptomatology observed by Ballering and colleagues 10 was similar to previous reports, with fatigue and breathlessness among the most common symptoms, but other symptoms such as chest pain were more common in people who had COVID-19 than in COVID-19-negative controls. Ballering and colleagues 10 propose a core symptom set to be considered as part of the case definition for long COVID. Although an agreed diagnostic core symptom set would inform clinical pathways and research, the study by Ballering and colleagues 10 did not fully consider the impact on mental health, it was conducted in one region in the In 2022, the world is experiencing the greatest cost of living crisis in a generation.…”