Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non‐hospitalized COVID‐19 “long haulers”

Objective We characterized the evolution of neurologic symptoms and self‐perceived recovery of non‐hospitalized COVID‐19 “long haulers” 6–9 months after their initial Neuro‐COVID‐19 clinic evaluation. Methods In this follow‐up study on the first 100 patients, 50 SARS‐CoV‐2 laboratory‐positive (SARS‐CoV‐2+), and 50 laboratory‐negative (SARS‐CoV‐2−), evaluated at our Neuro‐COVID‐19 clinic between May and November 2020, patients completed phone questionnaires on their neurologic symptoms, subjective impression of recovery and quality of life. Results Of 52 patients who completed the study (27 SARS‐CoV‐2+, 25 SARS‐CoV‐2−) a median 14.8 (range 11–18) months after symptom onset, mean age was 42.8 years, 73% were female, and 77% were vaccinated for SARS‐CoV‐2. Overall, there was no significant change in the frequency of most neurologic symptoms between first and follow‐up evaluations, including “brain fog” (81 vs. 71%), numbness/tingling (69 vs. 65%), headache (67 vs. 54%), dizziness (50 vs. 54%), blurred vision (34 vs. 44%), tinnitus (33 vs. 42%), and fatigue (87 vs. 81%). However, dysgeusia and anosmia decreased overall (63 vs. 27%, 58 vs. 21%, both p