Clinical Characteristics of Japanese Patients Who Visited a COVID-19 Aftercare Clinic for Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19/Long COVID

Abstract

Introduction The long-term clinical course, prognosis, and optimal management of symptoms and conditions after the acute phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of patients referred to a COVID-19 aftercare (CAC) clinic established at a tertiary academic hospital in Japan. Methods This study was a descriptive case series study. All patients who visited the CAC clinic between February 15 and September 17 in 2021 were included. Patients' background, chief complaints, and clinical courses after the onset of COVID-19 were described. Results A total of 87 Japanese patients (median age, 40.0 years; interquartile range [IQR], 26.5-53.0 years; 52.9% women) were referred to the CAC clinic. The median interval between the onset of COVID-19 and the visit to the clinic was 79.0 (IQR, 52.5-112.0) days. Referral sources were hospitals (36 patients), clinics (47 patients), a local healthcare center (3 patients), and other (1 patient). The most common chief complaint was general fatigue (50.4%) followed by dysosmia (28.7%), dysgeusia (26.4%), hair loss (18.4%), headache (17.2%), dyspnea (16.1%), and dyssomnia (13.1%). Respiratory symptoms were common in the early stages of the disease but were less common as the chief complaints when visiting the clinic. On the other hand, neurological, psychiatric, and extremity symptoms were predominant one month after the onset of COVID-19. Conclusions Regardless of the severity in the acute phase, patients visiting our CAC clinic suffered from a variety of symptoms. General physicians skilled in using a comprehensive approach would be optimal to see patients with such complex symptoms.

Keywords: covid-19 aftercare clinic; general fatigue; general physician; long covid; post-acute sequelae of covid-19.

Figure 1. Percentage of common chief complaints for visiting the CAC clinic

The most common complaint was general fatigue (47 patients, 50.4%) followed by dysosmia (25, 28.7%), dysgeusia (23, 26.4%), hair loss (16, 18.4%), headache (15, 17.2%), dyspnea (14, 16.1%), and dyssomnia (12, 13.1%). CAC: COVID-19 aftercare