Table 4 Prevalence of symptoms reported at 6 versus 12 months follow-up, and 6 versus 18 months follow-up, among people who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and those never infected
From: Natural history of long-COVID in a nationwide, population cohort study
Symptomatic | Never infected | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 and 12 months N = 12,947 | 6 and 18 months N = 4196 | 6 and 12 months N = 11,026 | 6 and 18 months N = 1711 | |||||||||
6 months | 12 months | p-value* | 6 months | 18 months | p-value* | 6 months | 12 months | p-value* | 6 months | 18 months | p-value* | |
N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | |||||
Sensory | ||||||||||||
Altered taste | 1453 (11.2) | 1125 (8.69) | <0.001 | 421 (10.0) | 322 (7.67) | <0.001 | 162 (1.47) | 200 (1.81) | 0.035 | 16 (0.94) | 31 (1.81) | 0.024 |
Altered smell | 1679 (13.0) | 1301 (10.1) | <0.001 | 483 (11.5) | 339 (8.08) | <0.001 | 116 (1.05) | 145 (1.32) | 0.062 | 17 (0.99) | 21 (1.23) | 0.618 |
Problems hearing | 761 (5.88) | 867 (6.70) | 0.001 | 244 (5.82) | 303 (7.22) | 0.002 | 373 (3.38) | 433 (3.93) | 0.013 | 57 (3.33) | 75 (4.38) | 0.082 |
Problems with eyesight | 974 (7.52) | 986 (7.62) | 0.751 | 333 (7.94) | 356 (8.48) | 0.283 | 441 (4.00) | 467 (4.24) | 0.322 | 82 (4.79) | 84 (4.91) | 0.925 |
Pins and needles | 1468 (11.3) | 1530 (11.8) | 0.129 | 539 (12.9) | 579 (13.8) | 0.109 | 739 (6.70) | 729 (6.61) | 0.775 | 128 (7.48) | 128 (7.48) | 1.000 |
Cardiorespiratory | ||||||||||||
Chest pain | 920 (7.11) | 926 (7.15) | 0.877 | 318 (7.58) | 327 (7.79) | 0.691 | 289 (2.62) | 393 (3.56) | <0.001 | 63 (3.68) | 66 (3.86) | 0.838 |
Palpitations | 1197 (9.25) | 1215 (9.38) | 0.632 | 444 (10.6) | 460 (11.0) | 0.503 | 429 (3.89) | 443 (4.02) | 0.588 | 75 (4.38) | 73 (4.27) | 0.920 |
Breathlessness | 2879 (22.2) | 2830 (21.9) | 0.309 | 1082 (25.8) | 1058 (25.2) | 0.431 | 863 (7.83) | 1076 (9.76) | <0.001 | 172 (10.1) | 188 (11.0) | 0.277 |
Dry cough | 1559 (12.0) | 1946 (15.0) | <0.001 | 484 (11.5) | 713 (17.0) | <0.001 | 761 (6.90) | 1127 (10.2) | <0.001 | 119 (6.95) | 187 (10.9) | <0.001 |
Cough with phlegm | 1408 (10.9) | 1819 (14.1) | <0.001 | 432 (10.3) | 628 (15.0) | <0.001 | 938 (8.51) | 1382 (12.5) | <0.001 | 146 (8.53) | 200 (11.7) | <0.001 |
Gastrointestinal | ||||||||||||
Poor appetite | 747 (5.77) | 776 (5.99) | 0.375 | 246 (5.86) | 246 (5.86) | 1.000 | 480 (4.35) | 527 (4.78) | 0.088 | 82 (4.79) | 79 (4.62) | 0.853 |
Abdominal pain | 930 (7.18) | 981 (7.58) | 0.149 | 324 (7.72) | 342 (8.15) | 0.413 | 701 (6.36) | 745 (6.76) | 0.173 | 117 (6.84) | 119 (6.95) | 0.936 |
Sickness/vomiting | 812 (6.27) | 832 (6.43) | 0.569 | 266 (6.34) | 324 (7.72) | 0.004 | 551 (5.00) | 578 (5.24) | 0.381 | 96 (5.61) | 104 (6.08) | 0.570 |
Diarrhea | 1092 (8.43) | 1138 (8.79) | 0.240 | 385 (9.18) | 424 (10.1) | 0.094 | 812 (7.36) | 815 (7.39) | 0.953 | 117 (6.84) | 119 (6.95) | 0.935 |
Constipation | 658 (5.08) | 649 (5.01) | 0.788 | 238 (5.67) | 225 (5.36) | 0.511 | 434 (3.94) | 496 (4.50) | 0.017 | 79 (4.62) | 80 (4.68) | 1.000 |
Musculoskeletal | ||||||||||||
Muscle aches/weakness | 3387 (26.2) | 3446 (26.6) | 0.271 | 1231 (29.3) | 1269 (30.2) | 0.236 | 1723 (15.6) | 1881 (17.1) | <0.001 | 299 (17.5) | 307 (17.9) | 0.702 |
Joint pain | 2798 (21.6) | 2831 (21.9) | 0.516 | 1020 (24.3) | 1092 (26.0) | 0.018 | 1784 (16.2) | 1869 (17.0) | 0.054 | 293 (17.1) | 336 (19.6) | 0.019 |
Neurological/mental health | ||||||||||||
Headache | 3250 (25.1) | 3325 (25.7) | 0.184 | 1141 (27.2) | 1145 (27.3) | 0.927 | 2131 (19.3) | 2423 (22.0) | <0.001 | 307 (17.9) | 337 (19.7) | 0.144 |
Anxious/depressed | 2588 (20.0) | 2559 (19.8) | 0.568 | 921 (22.0) | 904 (21.5) | 0.569 | 1460 (13.2) | 1566 (14.2) | 0.008 | 232 (13.6) | 248 (14.5) | 0.337 |
Confusion | 1870 (14.4) | 1757 (13.6) | 0.007 | 723 (17.2) | 637 (15.2) | <0.001 | 534 (4.84) | 532 (4.82) | 0.970 | 101 (5.90) | 95 (5.55) | 0.646 |
Sleep problems | 3381 (26.1) | 3437 (26.6) | 0.310 | 1149 (27.4) | 1198 (28.6) | 0.131 | 1942 (17.6) | 2130 (19.3) | <0.001 | 300 (17.5) | 293 (17.1) | 0.736 |
Dizzy/blackouts/fits | 653 (5.04) | 645 (4.98) | 0.812 | 234 (5.58) | 233 (5.55) | 1.000 | 330 (2.99) | 354 (3.21) | 0.308 | 44 (2.57) | 49 (2.86) | 0.649 |
Balance problems | 901 (6.96) | 980 (7.57) | 0.018 | 317 (7.55) | 356 (8.48) | 0.058 | 412 (3.74) | 465 (4.22) | 0.028 | 79 (4.62) | 95 (5.55) | 0.145 |
Non-specific | ||||||||||||
Tiredness | 6055 (46.8) | 5987 (46.2) | 0.264 | 2110 (50.3) | 2145 (51.1) | 0.325 | 3360 (30.5) | 3541 (32.1) | 0.001 | 505 (29.5) | 534 (31.2) | 0.193 |
Weight loss | 280 (2.16) | 241 (1.86) | 0.047 | 103 (2.45) | 87 (2.07) | 0.221 | 132 (1.20) | 147 (1.33) | 0.344 | 27 (1.58) | 31 (1.81) | 0.652 |
Skin rash | 552 (4.26) | 578 (4.46) | 0.366 | 167 (3.98) | 212 (5.05) | 0.006 | 277 (2.51) | 314 (2.85) | 0.091 | 43 (2.51) | 52 (3.04) | 0.343 |
At least one symptom now | 9252 (71.5) | 9148 (70.7) | 0.060 | 3080 (73.4) | 3117 (74.3) | 0.243 | 5,899 (53.5) | 6226 (56.5) | <0.001 | 895 (52.3) | 947 (55.4) | 0.026 |
