Nature Communications (Sep 2024)
Post-COVID-19 condition symptoms among emergency department patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection
- Patrick M. Archambault,
- Rhonda J. Rosychuk,
- Martyne Audet,
- Jeffrey P. Hau,
- Lorraine Graves,
- Simon Décary,
- Jeffrey J. Perry,
- Steven C. Brooks,
- Laurie J. Morrison,
- Raoul Daoust,
- David Seonguk Yeom,
- Hana Wiemer,
- Patrick T. Fok,
- Andrew D. McRae,
- Kavish Chandra,
- Michelle E. Kho,
- Dawn Stacey,
- Bilkis Vissandjée,
- Matthew Menear,
- Eric Mercier,
- Samuel Vaillancourt,
- Samina Aziz,
- Dianne Zakaria,
- Phil Davis,
- Katie N. Dainty,
- Jean-Sébastien Paquette,
- Murdoch Leeies,
- Susie Goulding,
- Elyse Berger Pelletier,
- Corinne M. Hohl,
- Canadian COVID−19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network (CCEDRRN) investigators,
- Network of Canadian Emergency Researchers,
- Canadian Critical Care Trials Group investigators
Affiliations
- Patrick M. Archambault
- Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université Laval
- Rhonda J. Rosychuk
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta
- Martyne Audet
- Centre de recherche intégrée pour un système de santé apprenant en santé et services sociaux, Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de Chaudière-Appalaches
- Jeffrey P. Hau
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of British Columbia
- Lorraine Graves
- Patient Engagement Committee, Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network, The University of British Columbia
- Simon Décary
- École de réadaptation, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke
- Jeffrey J. Perry
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa
- Steven C. Brooks
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen’s University
- Laurie J. Morrison
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
- Raoul Daoust
- Département de médecine de famille et de médecine d’urgence, Université de Montréal
- David Seonguk Yeom
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of British Columbia
- Hana Wiemer
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie University
- Patrick T. Fok
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie University
- Andrew D. McRae
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Calgary
- Kavish Chandra
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick
- Michelle E. Kho
- School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University
- Dawn Stacey
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- Bilkis Vissandjée
- Faculty of Nursing, Université de Montréal
- Matthew Menear
- Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université Laval
- Eric Mercier
- Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université Laval
- Samuel Vaillancourt
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
- Samina Aziz
- Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
- Dianne Zakaria
- Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
- Phil Davis
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
- Katie N. Dainty
- North York General Hospital
- Jean-Sébastien Paquette
- Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université Laval
- Murdoch Leeies
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Manitoba
- Susie Goulding
- Patient Engagement Committee, Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network, The University of British Columbia
- Elyse Berger Pelletier
- Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université Laval
- Corinne M. Hohl
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of British Columbia
- Canadian COVID−19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network (CCEDRRN) investigators
- Network of Canadian Emergency Researchers
- Canadian Critical Care Trials Group investigators
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52404-4
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 15,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 13
Abstract
Abstract Symptoms of the Post-COVID-19 Condition are often non-specific making it a challenge to distinguish them from symptoms due to other medical conditions. In this study, we compare the proportion of emergency department patients who developed symptoms consistent with the World Health Organization’s Post-COVID-19 Condition clinical case definition between those who tested positive for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 infection and time-matched patients who tested negative. Our results show that over one-third of emergency department patients with a proven acute infection meet Post-COVID-19 Condition criteria 3 months post-index visit. However, one in five test-negative patients who claim never having been infected also report symptoms consistent with Post-COVID-19 Condition highlighting the lack of specificity of the clinical case definition. Testing for SARS-CoV-2 during the acute phase of a suspected infection should continue until specific biomarkers of Post-COVID-19 Condition become available for diagnosis and treatment.
