Persistent symptoms after three months follow-up of in and out-patient COVID-19 cases

Background and aim There is limited research on how common the longer-term effects of COVID-19. This study aimed to describe changes in symptoms of COVID-19 patients at the 1st and 3rd months after diagnosis. Methods Patients older than 18-years who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Dokuz Eylül University Hospital-Turkey in December 2020 (n = 1434) were included in this prospective cohort study. Overall, 1029 patients (71.8%) completed the 1st month and 3rd-month follow-up. Data on demographic characteristics, chronic disease history, symptom history and hospitalization were collected via telephone interviews. Based on the relapsing nature of the disease, the presence or absence of any COVID-19 related symptoms within a week before the 1st and 3rd-month interview was questioned. Categorical variables (n, %) were compared using the chi-square test. Results Of the 1029 patients, 92.8% were symptomatic. The most common initial symptoms were muscle or body aches (58.5%), fatigue (57.8%) and loss of smell (53.1%). Among the symptomatic patients, 40.8% and 27.6% reported at least one symptom in the 1st and 3rd months, respectively. Mean number of symptoms was 4.5±2.6 at diagnosis, 2.3±1.7 at the 1st month and 2.5±2.3 at the 3rd month. The most common persistent symptoms by the 1st month were muscle or body aches (11.1%), heart palpitations (6.4%), and shortness of breath (5.8%). Muscle or body aches (9.5%), shortness of breath (4.2%) and fatigue (4.2%) were reported as persistent by the 3rd month. Persistent symptoms up to the 3rd month were more common in women (33.3% vs 21.3%, p < 0.001), in the patients aged >50 years (32.8% vs 25%, p = 0.01) and in the patients with comorbidities (31.8% vs 25.1%, p = 0.03). Conclusions Over a quarter of patients (27.6%) reported persistent symptoms even after 3 months of diagnosis. Rehabilitation and long-term monitoring programs for patients aged >50 years with comorbidities could be useful in responding to this problem. Key messages Over a quarter of patients report persisting symptoms even after 3 months of initial diagnosis. Follow-up programs could be useful in appropriately managing any persistent or emerging long-term sequelae.