Severe, Persistent, Disruptive Fatigue Post-SARS-CoV-2 Disproportionately Affects Young Women

Post-acute SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) symptoms are often persistent, disruptive, and difficult to treat effectively. Fatigue is often among the most frequently reported symptoms and may indicate a more challenging road to recovery.

To describe the natural history, symptomology, and risk profile of long-term post-acute SARS-CoV-2.

Participants treated for SARS-CoV-2 within a large, community health system in the US were enrolled prospectively in a longitudinal, observational PASC study examining participants at enrollment and 6 months. Medical history, symptom reporting, validated measures of cognition, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs), were performed for all participants and repeated during study follow-up visits.

A total of 323 participants completed baseline evaluations. Sixty one participants indicated clinically significant fatigue (23.1% at baseline); a representative sample of 141 enrollees also completed a baseline Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) in-depth fatigue reporting questionnaire, 37 had severe fatigue. The severely fatigued (FACIT-F ≤29.7) were significantly younger, female, had more anxiety and depression, had a higher resting heart rate, reported more sick days, and were less physically active post-COVID. They were more likely to have a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (13.5% vs 2.9%) but less likely to have a history of cancer (8.1% vs 23.1). Participants who were severely fatigued reported health, diet, weight, and sleep were worse than those not severely fatigued post-COVID (p = 0.02 to 0.0002). Fatigue was significantly correlated with impairment of all PROs administered after COVID-19 infection.

Fatigue is a common symptom post-COVID-19 infection and is associated with lower reported well-being and function. Those with severe fatigue tended to be younger and female and have a past medical history of anxiety, depression, kidney disease, and more sedentary lifestyles.