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Publications

Journal Article Epublish 6 citations

PubMed: 39524912 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1482917

Overlapping conditions in Long COVID at a multisite academic center.

Front Neurol 15:1482917

Authors: Stephanie L Grach, Daniel V Dudenkov, Beth Pollack, DeLisa Fairweather, Chris A Aakre, Bala Munipalli, Ivana T Croghan, Michael R Mueller, Joshua D Overgaard, Katelyn A Bruno, Nerissa M Collins, Zhuo Li, Ryan T Hurt, Michal C Tal, Ravindra Ganesh, Dacre T R Knight

Affiliations

  • Division of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
  • Department of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, United States.
  • Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
  • Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, United States.
  • Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
  • Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, United States.
  • Division of Quantitative Health Sciences, Rochester, MN, United States.
  • Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
  • Department of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, United States.
  • Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.

Abstract

Background

Many patients experience persistent symptoms after COVID-19, a syndrome referred to as Long COVID (LC). The goal of this study was to identify novel new or worsening comorbidities self-reported in patients with LC.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with LC (n = 732) at the Mayo Long COVID Care Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and Jacksonville, Florida were sent questionnaires to assess the development of new or worsening comorbidities following COVID-19 compared to patients with SARS-CoV-2 that did not develop LC (controls). Both groups were also asked questions screening for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) and orthostatic intolerance. 247 people with LC (33.7%) and 40 controls (50%) responded to the surveys.

Results

In this study LC patients averaged 53 years of age and were predominantly White (95%) women (75%). The greatest prevalence of new or worsening comorbidities following SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with LC vs. controls reported in this study were pain (94.4% vs. 0%, p < 0.001), neurological (92.4% vs. 15.4%, p < 0.001), sleep (82.8% vs. 5.3%, p < 0.001), skin (69.8% vs. 0%, p < 0.001), and genitourinary (60.6% vs. 25.0%, p = 0.029) issues. 58% of LC patients screened positive for ME/CFS vs. 0% of controls (p < 0.001), 27% positive for GJH compared to 10% of controls (p = 0.026), and a positive average score of 4.0 on orthostatic intolerance vs. 0 (p < 0.001). The majority of LC patients with ME/CFS were women (77%).

Conclusion

We found that comorbidities across 12 surveyed categories were increased in patients following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our data also support the overlap of LC with ME/CFS, GJH, and orthostatic intolerance. We discuss the pathophysiologic, research, and clinical implications of identifying these conditions with LC.

MeSH

Comorbidity, Pain, Orthostatic Intolerance, Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic, Covid-19, Viruses, Infections, Mast Cells, Post-Acute Covid-19 Syndrome