Sculthorpe Nicholas F, McLaughlin Marie, Cerexhe Luke, Macdonald Eilidh, Dello Iacono Antonio, Sanal-Hayes Nilihan E M, Ingram Joanne, Meach Rachel, Carless David, Ormerod Jane, Hayes Lawrence D
Sport and Physical Activity Research Institute, University of the West of Scotland, Glasgow, UK.
Institute for Sport Physical Education and Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
BMJ Open. 2025 Jan 15;15(1):e086646. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-086646.
COVID-19 disease results in disparate responses between individuals and has led to the emergence of long coronavirus disease (Long-COVID), characterised by persistent and cyclical symptomology. To understand the complexity of Long-COVID, the importance of symptom surveillance and prospective longitudinal studies is evident.
A 9-month longitudinal prospective cohort study was conducted within Scotland (n=287), using a mobile app to determine the proportion of recovered individuals and those with persistent symptoms and common symptoms, and associations with gender and age.
3.1% of participants experienced symptoms at month 9, meeting the criteria for Long-COVID, as defined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence terminology. The random effects model revealed a significant time (month) effect for infection recovery (p<0.001, estimate=0.07). Fatigue, cough and muscle pain were the most common symptoms at baseline, with fatigue persisting the longest, while symptoms like cough improved rapidly. Older age increased the likelihood of reporting pain (p=0.028, estimate=0.07) and cognitive impairment (p<0.001, estimate=0.93). Female gender increased the likelihood of headaches (p=0.024, estimate=0.53) and post-exertional malaise (PEM) frequency (p=0.05, estimate=137.68), and increased time x gender effect for PEM frequency (p=0.033, estimate=18.96).
The majority of people fully recover from acute COVID-19, although often slowly. Age and gender play a role in symptom burden and recovery rates, emphasising the need for tailored approaches to Long-COVID management. Further analysis is required to determine the characteristics of the individuals still reporting ongoing symptoms months after initial infection to identify risk factors and potential predictors for the development of Long-COVID.
2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）在个体间会导致不同的反应，并引发了长期冠状病毒病（Long-COVID）的出现，其特征为持续且周期性发作的症状。为了解Long-COVID的复杂性，症状监测和前瞻性纵向研究的重要性显而易见。
在苏格兰开展了一项为期9个月的纵向前瞻性队列研究（n = 287），使用一款移动应用程序来确定康复个体以及有持续症状和常见症状个体的比例，以及这些症状与性别和年龄的关联。
9个月时，3.1%的参与者出现症状，符合英国国家卫生与临床优化研究所术语定义的Long-COVID标准。随机效应模型显示感染恢复存在显著的时间（月）效应（p<0.001，估计值 = 0.07）。疲劳、咳嗽和肌肉疼痛是基线时最常见的症状，其中疲劳持续时间最长，而咳嗽等症状改善迅速。年龄较大增加了报告疼痛的可能性（p = 0.028，估计值 = 0.07）和认知障碍的可能性（p<0.001，估计值 = 0.93）。女性增加了头痛的可能性（p = 0.024，估计值 = 0.53）和运动后不适（PEM）频率（p = 0.05，估计值 = 137.68），并且PEM频率的时间×性别效应增加（p = 0.033，估计值 = 18.96）。
大多数人从急性COVID-19中完全康复，尽管通常恢复缓慢。年龄和性别在症状负担和恢复率方面发挥作用，强调了针对Long-COVID管理采取个性化方法的必要性。需要进一步分析以确定初次感染数月后仍报告有持续症状的个体特征，从而识别Long-COVID发生的风险因素和潜在预测指标。
