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

Multifaceted long COVID caused by SARS-COV-2 affects all populations in the World and takes priority over any other research topics for health care. The purpose of study is to identify physiology-centered risks, prevalence, symptoms and laboratory findings in patients with long COVID in Ukraine.

A prospective, cohort study was carried out on 332 patients with long COVID after 4 weeks and more after acute infection COVID-19 from Jul 1, 2021, to Jul 1, 2022. Physiology-centered risks related to age, gender, body mass index (BMI), marital status and educational capacity, smoking, lifestyle, physical activity, and laboratory findings (before disease), and symptom distribution were analyzed.

The cohort for the study consisted of 166 females and 107 males (mean age = 42; including young 18 (5.4%) and middle- and old-aged adults 314 (96.4%)). Increased BMI was in 61%, and less physical activity-65%. There were 4 clusters of symptoms related to physical, neurocognitive, pulmonary, and pain conditions. 95% of participants had ≥ 3 symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue (90%), muscular pain (85%), anosmia (70%), hair loss (70%), sleep disorders (70%), dyspnea (30%), and brain fog (25%). Among laboratory finding increased CRP (92.6%) and fibrinogen (82.7%) dominated. There are no differences between hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients in distribution symptoms.

The prevalence of long COVID is 23%, and its physiology-centered risk factors are related to age more 38 years, female sex, unhealthy lifestyle, increased BMI, and increased inflammatory markers during COVID-19. The most common symptoms are associated with neurocognitive and pain clusters.