Predictors of Long COVID in Patients without Comorbidities: Data from the Polish Long-COVID Cardiovascular (PoLoCOV-CVD) Study, 2022, Chudzik et al

Abstract

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has become an enormous worldwide challenge over the last two years. However, little is still known about the risk of Long COVID (LC) in patients without comorbidities. Thus, we aimed to assess the predictors of LC in patients without comorbidities.

Methods: Patients’ information, the course of the disease with symptoms, and post-COVID-19 complaints were collected within 4–12 weeks after COVID-19 recovery. Next, the patients were followed for at least 3 months. ECG, 24-h ECG monitoring, 24-h blood pressure (BP) monitoring, echocardiography, and selected biochemical tests were performed. LC was recognized based on the WHO definition.

Results: We identified 701 consecutive patients, 488 of whom completed a 3-month follow-up (63% women). Comparisons were made between the LC group (n = 218) and patients without any symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 recovery (non-LC group) (n = 270). Patients with a severe course of acute-phase COVID-19 developed LC complications more often (34% vs. 19%, p < 0.0001). The persistent symptoms were observed in 45% of LC patients. The LC group also had significantly more symptoms during the acute phase of COVID-19, and they suffered significantly more often from dyspnoea (48 vs. 33%), fatigue (72 vs. 63%), chest pain (50 vs. 36%), leg muscle pain (41 vs. 32%), headache (66 vs. 52%), arthralgia (44 vs. 25%), and chills (34 vs. 25%). In LC patients, significant differences regarding sex and body mass index were observed—woman: 69% vs. 56% (p = 0.003), and BMI: 28 [24–31] vs. 26 kg/m2 [23–30] (p < 0.001), respectively. The number of symptoms in the acute phase was significantly greater in the LC group than in the control group (5 [2–8] vs. 2 [1–5], p = 0.0001). The LC group also had a higher 24-h heart rate (77 [72–83] vs. 75 [70–81], p = 0.021) at admission to the outpatient clinic. Multivariate regression analysis showed that LC patients had a higher BMI (odds ratio (OR): 1.06, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.02–1.10, p = 0.007), almost twice as often had a severe course of COVID-19 (OR: 1.74, CI: 1.07–2.81, p = 0.025), and presented with joint pain in the acute phase (OR: 1.90, CI: 1.23–2.95, p = 0.004).

Conclusions: A severe course of COVID-19, BMI, and arthralgia are independently associated with the risk of Long COVID in healthy individuals.

Open access, https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/17/4980/htm

 

They are not needed, though. In fact most will not have either of those 3 factors. Medicine really needs to change how risk factors are reported because this is how we ended up with a disease that predominantly affects women being defined as a women's disease. Then again that also poses significant problem with things like breast cancer in men, or heart attacks in women.

The idea is that medical professionals know better but we all know this isn't the case in real life, the language used is what will be remembered. If it's phrased poorly, the poor phrasing is what will be memorized, not its true meaning. This is how so many people keep being told something is impossible in their case simply because they do not have the high risk profile.

This is especially egregious considering the increased severity in severe cases still amounts to a far smaller number of people than half the % of a far larger number. There is a failure of scale, proportion and framing all over how risk factors are described. It's easy to blame journalists for doing this but it's all over academic papers and knowledge bases.