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. 2024 Mar 20;13(3):267.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens13030267.

The Course of COVID-19 and Long COVID: Identifying Risk Factors among Patients Suffering from the Disease before and during the Omicron-Dominant Period

Mateusz Babicki  1 , Damian Kołat  2   3 , Żaneta Kałuzińska-Kołat  2   3 , Joanna Kapusta  4 , Agnieszka Mastalerz-Migas  1 , Piotr Jankowski  5 , Michał Chudzik  5   6
Affiliations

The Course of COVID-19 and Long COVID: Identifying Risk Factors among Patients Suffering from the Disease before and during the Omicron-Dominant Period

Mateusz Babicki et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 has acquired many mutations that influence the severity of COVID-19's course or the risk of developing long COVID. In 2022, the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant was Omicron. This study aimed to compare the course of COVID-19 in the periods before and during the dominance of the Omicron variant. Risk factors for developing long COVID were also assessed. This study was based on stationary visits of patients after COVID-19 and follow-up assessments after 3 months. Clinical symptoms, comorbidities, and vaccination status were evaluated in 1967 patients. Of the analyzed group, 1308 patients (66.5%) were affected by COVID-19 in the period before the Omicron dominance. The prevalence of long COVID was significantly lower among patients of the Omicron group (47.7% vs. 66.9%, p < 0.001). The risk of long COVID was higher for women (OR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.31, 1.99]) and asthmatics (OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.07]). Conclusively, infection during the Omicron-dominant period was linked to a lower risk of developing long COVID. Females are at higher risk of developing long COVID independent of the pandemic period. Individuals affected by COVID-19 in the Omicron-dominant period experience a shorter duration of symptoms and reduced frequency of symptoms, except for coughing, which occurs more often.

Keywords: COVID-19; Omicron; long COVID; pre-Omicron; risk factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the study group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Complex logistic regression model assessment of the risk of developing long COVID in the whole group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Complex logistic regression model assessment of the risk of developing long COVID in the pre-Omicron group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Complex logistic regression model assessment of the risk of developing long COVID in the Omicron group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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