Operationalisation of post-COVID condition case definition in a comprehensive research protocol.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) is a significant sequela of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Current PCC case definitions lack standardization and reproducibility due to complex manifestations.
• This hinders consistent patient identification for research and clinical studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple screening tool for reproducible and comparable PCC case definition.
• To establish a framework for reliably identifying suspected PCC cases.
• To create a comprehensive assessment protocol for frequently reported PCC characteristics.

Main Methods:

• A European multi-center study was conducted.
• A checklist was devised based on a systematic review to assess PCC symptoms and their temporal relation to COVID-19.
• The protocol includes neuropsychological evaluations and validated self-administered scales.

Main Results:

• The screening checklist includes cognitive, psychiatric, and general symptom cores.
• Symptom onset within 3 months post-COVID-19 resolution and persistence for at least 2 months are key criteria.
• Suspicion of PCC is triggered by any qualifying symptom; neuropsychiatric involvement requires at least one cognitive or psychiatric symptom.

Conclusions:

• Standardized identification of PCC cases is crucial for accurate patient inclusion in studies.
• A simple, reproducible, and flexible screening tool is proposed.
• A comprehensive assessment protocol is offered to enhance standardization and comparability in PCC research.