Long COVID Clusters of Symptoms Persist beyond Two Years after Infection: Insights from the CARDIO COVID 20-21 Registry

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 16; no. 7; p. 1028
• Main Authors: Arango-Ibanez, Juan Pablo, Córdoba-Melo, Brayan Daniel, Gutiérrez Posso, Juliana María, Barbosa-Rengifo, Mario Miguel, Herrera, Cesar J, Quintana Da Silva, Miguel Angel, Buitrago, Andrés Felipe, Coronel Gilio, María Lorena, Pow-Chong-Long, Freddy, Gómez-Mesa, Juan Esteban
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-07-2024
• Subjects: Aged; Ageusia - epidemiology; Ageusia - etiology; Ageusia - virology; Anosmia; Anosmia - epidemiology; Anosmia - etiology; Arthralgia; Arthralgia - etiology; Arthralgia - virology; cluster; Cluster Analysis; Cohort Studies; Cough; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Diagnosis; Disease; Dyspnea; Dyspnea - etiology; Dyspnea - physiopathology; Dyspnea - virology; Fatigue; Fatigue - etiology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Heart failure; Hospitalization; Humans; Hypertension; Infections; Latin America; long COVID; Male; Middle Aged; Myalgia; Myalgia - etiology; Myalgia - physiopathology; Olfaction disorders; Patients; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; post-COVID condition; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Questionnaires; Registries; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Software; Statistical analysis; symptoms; Time Factors; Colombia; COVID-19; symptoms; cluster; long COVID; post-COVID condition; Latin America
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v16071028

Long COVID presents with diverse symptoms after COVID-19. Different clusters of symptoms have been reported; however, their persistence beyond 2 years after COVID-19 remains unclear. In this cohort study, we prospectively evaluated individuals with previous severe COVID-19 presenting with long COVID at a two-year follow-up. We characterized the included patients and performed a cluster analysis of symptoms through multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical clustering. A total of 199 patients with long COVID were included. The median age was 58 years (48-69), 56% were male, and the median follow-up time since the COVID-19 diagnosis was 26 months (IQR: 25, 27). Three symptom clusters were identified: Cluster 1 is characterized by fatigue, myalgia/arthralgia, a low prevalence of symptoms, and a lack of specific symptoms; Cluster 2 is defined by a high prevalence of fatigue, myalgia/arthralgia, and cardiorespiratory symptoms, including palpitations, shortness of breath, cough, and chest pain; and Cluster 3 is demonstrated a high prevalence of ageusia, anosmia, fatigue, and cardiorespiratory symptoms. Our study reinforces the concept of symptom clustering in long COVID, providing evidence that these clusters may persist beyond two years after a COVID-19 diagnosis. This highlights the chronic and debilitating nature of long COVID and the importance of developing strategies to mitigate symptoms in these patients.