Symptoms and Risk Factors for Long COVID: A Cross-Sectional Study in Primary Care

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the occurrence and risk factors for persistent symptoms after mild to moderate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients who presented in primary care during the 2021 pandemic. A retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in six public family health care units in Joao Pessoa, Brazil. A questionnaire with a set of 18 validated clinical outcomes was used to assess prolonged symptoms beyond 3 months of duration in 226 adults who had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Binary logistic regression models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and risk factors for Long COVID. A total of 16 outcomes were significantly associated with Long COVID. The largest aOR were estimated for short-term memory loss, anxiety, and loss of attention. The risk factors for Long COVID included ≥ 5 symptoms (15.82, 7.33–34.15, p < 0.0001), female sex (aOR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.03–3.53, p = 0.032), age 40–49 years (3.45, 1.14–10.51, p = 0.029), and age 70+ years (4.0, 1.01–15.51, p = 0.045). Findings highlight a high frequency of persistent symptoms in adults who initially had non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, who are predominantly of working age, and who did not present multiple comorbidities. This study supports the need for assessing clinical outcomes and risk factors on Long COVID in primary care using routinely recorded clinical outcomes.