PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 in a non-hospitalized cohort: Results from the Arizona CoVHORT.

  • Melanie L Bell,
  • Collin J Catalfamo,
  • Leslie V Farland,
  • Kacey C Ernst,
  • Elizabeth T Jacobs,
  • Yann C Klimentidis,
  • Megan Jehn,
  • Kristen Pogreba-Brown

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254347
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 8
p. e0254347

Abstract

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Clinical presentation, outcomes, and duration of COVID-19 has ranged dramatically. While some individuals recover quickly, others suffer from persistent symptoms, collectively known as long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). Most PASC research has focused on hospitalized COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe disease. We used data from a diverse population-based cohort of Arizonans to estimate prevalence of PASC, defined as experiencing at least one symptom 30 days or longer, and prevalence of individual symptoms. There were 303 non-hospitalized individuals with a positive lab-confirmed COVID-19 test who were followed for a median of 61 days (range 30-250). COVID-19 positive participants were mostly female (70%), non-Hispanic white (68%), and on average 44 years old. Prevalence of PASC at 30 days post-infection was 68.7% (95% confidence interval: 63.4, 73.9). The most common symptoms were fatigue (37.5%), shortness-of-breath (37.5%), brain fog (30.8%), and stress/anxiety (30.8%). The median number of symptoms was 3 (range 1-20). Amongst 157 participants with longer follow-up (≥60 days), PASC prevalence was 77.1%.