Long COVID prevalence and impact on quality of life 2 years after acute COVID-19

Abstract

There has been an increasing interest in the long-term impact of long COVID. However, only a few studies have investigated the clinical manifestations of long COVID after 24 months of acute infection. In this study, prospective online surveys were conducted in adults previously diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in South Korea between February 13 and March 13, 2020, at 6, 12, and 24 months after COVID-19. We investigated self-reported symptoms and the EuroQol-5-dimension index. Among 900 individuals enrolled initially, 150 completed all 3 surveys. After excluding the cases of COVID-19 reinfection, 132 individuals were included in the final analysis. Among the 132 participants, 94 (71.2%) experienced symptoms of long COVID. The most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (34.8%), amnesia (30.3%), concentration difficulties (24.2%), insomnia (20.5%), and depression (19.7%). Notably, no significant differences were noted in the incidence of long COVID at 24 months in terms of the number of vaccinations received. Although the neuropsychiatric quality of life improved over time, it continued to affect 32.7% of participants. Symptoms of long COVID, particularly neuropsychiatric symptoms, tend to persist over time, and COVID-19 vaccination or the number of vaccinations received may not significantly affect the incidence of long COVID.

Figure 1

Distribution of 45 persistent symptoms or signs at 6, 12, and 24 months after acute COVID-19.

Figure 2

Duration of key long COVID symptoms according to the symptom persistent period at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after acute COVID-19.

Figure 3

Assessment of quality of life (EQ5D) 12 and 24 months after acute COVID-19 according to the data collected from an online survey involving 132 responders.