As per the study published in “JAMA Network Open” on 19 Februrary 2021 indicated that the health consequences of the deadly coronavirus extend far beyond acute infection, even in patients witnessing mild illness. This longitudinal prospective cohort study conducted by Jennifer K. Logue et al. presents the longest follow-up symptom evaluation after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

The study included subjects with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infection. A concurrent cohort of healthy individuals was included in the control arm. The coronavirus symptom data were procured at the time of acute illness or retrospectively recounted at a 30-day recruitment visit. Notably, COVID-19 subjects (n=234) were requested to complete a follow-up questionnaire between third and ninth months.

Overall, 75.6% (177/234) of participants infected with coronavirus completed the survey. In total, 6.2% (n=11) were asymptomatic, 84.7% (n=150) subjects had mild illness, and 9% (n=16) had moderate or severe disease needing hospitalization. Hypertension was witnessed to be the most frequently occurring comorbidity (13%, n=23). The follow-up survey was completed a median of 169 days after infection onset by coronavirus-infected subjects and 87 days after recruitment by 21 subjects in the control arm.

Among coronavirus-infected subjects, persistent symptoms were reported by 26.6% (17/64) subjects (age 18-39 years), 30.1% (25/83) subjects (age 40-64 years), and 43.3% (13/30) subjects (age 65 years and older). It was noted that 32.7% (49/150) outpatients, 31.3% (5/16) hospitalized patients, and 4.8% (1/21) healthy participants in the control arm witnessed at least one persistent symptom. Of 31 subjects having diabetes or hypertension, 35.5% (n=11) witnessed ongoing symptoms. The most frequently noted persistent symptoms were fatigue (13.6% [24/177] subjects) and loss of sense of taste or smell (13.6% [24/177] subjects).

In total, 23 subjects (13%) witnessed other symptoms, including brain fog (2.3%, n=4). In this study, 51 outpatients and hospitalized individuals (30.7%) were found to report deteriorating health-related quality of life in comparison with baseline vs. four healthy participants and asymptomatic subjects (12.5%). Notably, 14 subjects (7.9%) witnessed negative effects on at least one activity of daily living, the household chores were found to be the most prevalent. Comprehensive long-term research will be required to completely elucidate the impact of this evolving viral pathogen, concluded the study authors. The study results suggest that COVID-19 does not just prompt mild illness, but its outcomes are beyond acute illness.