A third of symptomatic COVID-19 patients have persistent symptoms

Around a third of symptomatic patients with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) seem to develop persistent symptoms, a recent study has found. On the other hand, a third of all patients with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 are asymptomatic, underscoring the heterogeneity of its presentation.

Researchers conducted a cohort study involving 445 patients with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 but had no need for hospitalization. Digital questionnaires were used to assess demographics and symptoms. Persistent symptoms were defined as those lasting >4 weeks.

Of the overall sample, 34 percent were deemed to be completely asymptomatic, leaving 238 patients who had experienced symptoms, more than half of whom felt their first symptom within a few hours. Most commonly, symptomatic patients complained of fatigue, headache, and sneezing, as well severe instances of reduced taste and smelling.

Majority (n=137) of symptomatic patients said that their symptoms had disappeared within 2 weeks. A total of 198 symptomatic patients provided follow-up data exceeding 4 weeks; of these, 36 percent had persistent symptoms.

The most common persistent symptom was fatigue, reported by 16 percent of patients. This was followed by difficulties with concentration or memory (13 percent), reduced sense of smell (10 percent), and shortness of breath (10 percent).

Women (odds ratio [OR], 2.7, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.4–5.2; p=0.003) seemed to be more likely to experience persistent symptoms, as were those who had high body mass index (OR, 1.1, 95 percent CI, 1.0–1.2; p=0.001).

“Although data should be reproduced due to possible limitations of survival or recall bias, these findings should be taken into account in future healthcare planning and policy making related to COVID-19 prevention, detection, treatment, and follow-up,” the researchers said.