Incidence, symptom clusters and determinants of post-acute COVID symptoms: a population-based surveillance in community-dwelling users of the COVID RADAR app

Abstract

Objectives This study aims to describe the incidence, symptom clusters and determinants of post-acute COVID symptoms using data from the COVID RADAR app in the Netherlands.Design Prospective cohort.Setting General population in the Netherlands from April 2020 to February 2022.Participants A total of 1478 COVID RADAR app users, with data spanning 40 days before to 100 days after positive SARS-CoV-2 test.Outcome measures Incidence and duration of 10 new symptoms that developed during acute infection, defined as 10 days prior and 10 days after positive test. Clustering of these post-acute COVID symptoms and associations between factors known in the acute phase and 100-day symptom persistence.Results The most frequent post-acute symptoms were cough, loss of smell or taste and fatigue. At 100 days postinfection, 86 (8%) participants still experienced symptoms. Three post-acute COVID symptom clusters were identified: non-respiratory (headache and fatigue; 49% of participants with post-acute COVID symptoms); olfactory (15%) and respiratory (8%). Vaccination was associated with a lower risk of post-acute COVID symptoms 100 days after infection, although CIs were wide (OR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.2 to 1.5), but not with non-respiratory symptoms (OR: 1.0; 95% CI: 0.3 to 4.4). Severe acute disease increased the risk of post-acute COVID symptoms (OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2 to 1.5; per additional acute symptom).Conclusions In this cohort of infected community-dwelling app users, 5%–10% experienced post-acute COVID symptoms. The symptoms cluster in several distinct entities, which differ in incidence, patient characteristics and vaccination effects. This suggests multiple mechanisms underlying the development of post-acute COVID symptoms.