Long COVID prevalence and physiology-centered risks: population-based study in Ukraine

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Long COVID, a multifaceted condition following SARS-CoV-2 infection, presents a significant global health challenge.
• Understanding the specific risk factors and symptom profiles in different populations is crucial for effective healthcare prioritization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify physiology-centered risk factors, prevalence, symptoms, and laboratory findings in Ukrainian patients experiencing long COVID.
• To analyze the distribution of symptoms and associated laboratory markers in a long COVID cohort.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study involving 332 patients with long COVID (symptoms persisting >4 weeks post-infection) was conducted from July 2021 to July 2022.
• Data collected included demographics, lifestyle factors (BMI, physical activity, smoking), pre-existing laboratory findings, and symptom clusters (physical, neurocognitive, pulmonary, pain).

Main Results:

• The study cohort comprised 166 females and 107 males, with a mean age of 42. 96.4% were middle-aged or older adults.
• High prevalence of increased BMI (61%) and reduced physical activity (65%) was observed. Common symptoms included fatigue (90%), muscular pain (85%), anosmia (70%), and hair loss (70%).
• Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) (92.6%) and fibrinogen (82.7%) were dominant laboratory findings. 95% of participants reported at least three symptoms, primarily in neurocognitive and pain clusters.

Conclusions:

• The prevalence of long COVID in the studied population was 23%.
• Key physiological risk factors identified were age over 38 years, female sex, unhealthy lifestyle, increased BMI, and elevated inflammatory markers during acute COVID-19.
• Neurocognitive and pain-related symptoms were most frequently associated with long COVID.