Hemoglobin and Its Relationship with Fatigue in Long-COVID Patients Three to Six Months after SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Somayeh Bazdar,
Lizan D. Bloemsma,
Nadia Baalbaki,
Jelle M. Blankestijn,
Merel E. B. Cornelissen,
Rosanne J. H. C. G. Beijers,
Brigitte M. Sondermeijer,
Yolanda van Wijck,
George S. Downward,
Anke H. Maitland-van der Zee
Affiliations
Somayeh Bazdar
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Lizan D. Bloemsma
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Nadia Baalbaki
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Jelle M. Blankestijn
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Merel E. B. Cornelissen
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Rosanne J. H. C. G. Beijers
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nutrim Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
Brigitte M. Sondermeijer
Department of Pulmonology, Spaarne Gasthuis, 2035 RC Haarlem, The Netherlands
Yolanda van Wijck
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
George S. Downward
Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
Anke H. Maitland-van der Zee
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Background: While some long-term effects of COVID-19 are respiratory in nature, a non-respiratory effect gaining attention has been a decline in hemoglobin, potentially mediated by inflammatory processes. In this study, we examined the correlations between hemoglobin levels and inflammatory biomarkers and evaluated the association between hemoglobin and fatigue in a cohort of Long-COVID patients. Methods: This prospective cohort study in the Netherlands evaluated 95 (mostly hospitalized) patients, aged 40–65 years, 3–6 months post SARS-CoV-2 infection, examining their venous hemoglobin concentration, anemia (hemoglobin Results: In total, 11 (16.4%) participants were suffering from anemia 3–6 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The mean hemoglobin value increased by 0.3 mmol/L 3–6 months after infection compared to the hemoglobin during the acute phase (p-value = 0.003). Whilst logistic regression showed that a 1 mmol/L greater increase in hemoglobin is related to a decrease in experiencing fatigue in Long-COVID patients (adjusted OR 0.38 [95%CI 0.13–1.09]), we observed no correlations between hemoglobin and any of the inflammatory biomarkers examined. Conclusion: Our results indicate that hemoglobin impairment might play a role in developing Long-COVID fatigue. Further investigation is necessary to identify the precise mechanism causing hemoglobin alteration in these patients.
