National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, London, UK.
BMJ Open Respir Res. 2021 Nov;8(1). doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2021-001075.
To investigate the experience of people who continue to be unwell after acute COVID-19, often referred to as 'long COVID', both in terms of their symptoms and their interactions with healthcare.
We conducted a mixed-methods analysis of responses to a survey accessed through a UK online post-COVID-19 support and information hub, between April and December 2020, about people's experiences after having acute COVID-19.
3290 respondents, 78% female, 92.1% white ethnicity and median age range 45-54 years; 12.7% had been hospitalised. 494(16.5%) completed the survey between 4 and 8 weeks of the onset of their symptoms, 641(21.4%) between 8 and 12 weeks and 1865 (62.1%) >12 weeks after.
The ongoing symptoms most frequently reported were: breathing problems (92.1%), fatigue (83.3%), muscle weakness or joint stiffness (50.6%), sleep disturbances (46.2%), problems with mental abilities (45.9%), changes in mood, including anxiety and depression (43.1%) and cough (42.3%). Symptoms did not appear to be related to the severity of the acute illness or to the presence of pre-existing medical conditions. Analysis of free-text responses revealed three main themes: (1) experience of living with COVID-19: physical and psychological symptoms that fluctuate unpredictably; (2) interactions with healthcare that were unsatisfactory; (3) implications for the future: their own condition, society and the healthcare system, and the need for research CONCLUSION: Consideration of patient perspectives and experiences will assist in the planning of services to address problems persisting in people who remain symptomatic after the acute phase of COVID-19.
调查人们在急性 COVID-19 后继续出现不适的体验，通常被称为“长新冠”，包括症状和与医疗保健的互动。
我们对 2020 年 4 月至 12 月期间通过英国在线 post-COVID-19 支持和信息中心访问的一项调查的回复进行了混合方法分析，该调查涉及人们在急性 COVID-19 后的经历。
3290 名受访者，78%为女性，92.1%为白人，中位数年龄范围为 45-54 岁；12.7%住院。494 人（16.5%）在症状出现后 4-8 周内完成了调查，641 人（21.4%）在 8-12 周内，1865 人（62.1%）在 12 周后。
最常报告的持续症状包括：呼吸问题（92.1%）、疲劳（83.3%）、肌肉无力或关节僵硬（50.6%）、睡眠障碍（46.2%）、精神能力问题（45.9%）、情绪变化，包括焦虑和抑郁（43.1%）和咳嗽（42.3%）。症状似乎与急性疾病的严重程度或是否存在预先存在的医疗条件无关。对自由文本回复的分析揭示了三个主要主题：（1）感染 COVID-19 的体验：身体和心理症状不可预测地波动；（2）与医疗保健的互动不理想；（3）对未来的影响：自己的状况、社会和医疗保健系统，以及对研究的需求。
考虑患者的观点和体验将有助于规划服务，以解决急性 COVID-19 后仍有症状的患者持续存在的问题。
