. 2025 Jun 5;15(6):e094760.

doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-094760.

Cohort profile: characterisation, determinants, mechanisms and consequences of the long-term effects of COVID-19 - providing the evidence base for health care services (CONVALESCENCE) in the UK

Alexandra Jamieson^{1

2}, Lamia Al Saikhan³, Betty Raman⁴, Lamis Alghamdi^{1

2

3}, Nathan J Cheetham⁵, Pauline Conde⁶, Richard Dobson⁶, Alba Fernández-Sanlés^{1

2}, Amos Folarin⁶, Lucy J Goudswaard^{7

8}, Lee Hamill Howes^{1

2}, Siana Jones^{1

2}, Stefan Neubauer⁴, Michele Orini^{1

2

9}, Iain Pierce^{1

2}, Yatharth Ranjan⁶, Alicja Rapala^{1

2}, Stephen M Smith¹⁰, Carole Sudre^{1

2

9

11}, Ellen J Thompson^{5

11

12}, James Wild¹³, Dylan Williams^{1

2}, Andrew Wong^{1

2}, Claire J Steves^{5

14}, Nic Timpson^{7

8}, Nishi Chaturvedi^{1

2}, Alun Hughes^{15

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population Science & Experimental Medicine, University College London, London, UK.
² MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK.
³ Department of Cardiac Technology, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
⁵ Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK.
⁶ Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
⁷ Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
⁸ MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
⁹ School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
¹⁰ Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
¹¹ Centre for Medical Image computing, University College London, London, UK.
¹² School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
¹³ Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
¹⁴ Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁵ Department of Population Science & Experimental Medicine, University College London, London, UK alun.hughes@ucl.ac.uk.

PMID: 40473290
PMCID: PMC12142084
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-094760

Cohort profile: characterisation, determinants, mechanisms and consequences of the long-term effects of COVID-19 - providing the evidence base for health care services (CONVALESCENCE) in the UK

Alexandra Jamieson et al. BMJ Open. 2025.

. 2025 Jun 5;15(6):e094760.

doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-094760.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population Science & Experimental Medicine, University College London, London, UK.
² MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL, University College London, London, UK.
³ Department of Cardiac Technology, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK.
⁵ Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK.
⁶ Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
⁷ Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
⁸ MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
⁹ School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
¹⁰ Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
¹¹ Centre for Medical Image computing, University College London, London, UK.
¹² School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
¹³ Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
¹⁴ Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁵ Department of Population Science & Experimental Medicine, University College London, London, UK alun.hughes@ucl.ac.uk.

PMID: 40473290
PMCID: PMC12142084
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-094760

Abstract

Purpose: The pathogenesis of the long-lasting symptoms which can follow an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus ('long covid') is not fully understood. The 'COroNaVirus post-Acute Long-term EffectS: Constructing an evidENCE base' (CONVALESCENCE) study was established as part of the Longitudinal Health and Wellbeing COVID-19 UK National Core Study. We performed a deep phenotyping case-control study nested within two cohorts (the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and TwinsUK) as part of CONVALESCENCE.

Participants: From September 2021 to May 2023, 349 participants attended the CONVALESCENCE deep phenotyping clinic at University College London. Four categories of participants were recruited: cases of long covid (long covid(+)/SARS-CoV-2(+)), alongside three control groups: those with neither long covid symptoms nor evidence of prior COVID-19 (long covid(-)/SARS-CoV-2(-); control group 1), those who self-reported COVID-19 and had evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but did not report long covid (long covid(-)/SARS-CoV-2(+); control group 2) and those who self-reported persistent symptoms attributable to COVID-19 but no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (long covid(+)/SARS-CoV-2(-); control group 3). Remote wearable measurements were performed up until February 2024.

Findings to date: This cohort profile describes the baseline characteristics of the CONVALESCENCE cohort. Of the 349 participants, 141 (53±15 years old; 21 (15%) men) were cases, 89 (55±16 years old; 11 (12%) men) were in control group 1, 75 (49±15 years old; 25 (33%) men) were in control group 2 and 44 (55±16 years old; 9 (21%) men) were in control group 3.

Future plans: The study aims to use a multiorgan score calculated as the cumulative total for each of nine domains (ie, lung, vascular, heart, kidney, brain, autonomic function, muscle strength, exercise capacity and physical performance). The availability of data preceding acute COVID-19 infection in cohorts may help identify the consequences of infection independent of pre-existing subclinical disease and also provide evidence of determinants that influence the development of long covid.

Keywords: COVID-19; EPIDEMIOLOGY; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: All authors have completed the Unified Competing Interest form (available on request from the corresponding author).NC serves on Data and Safety Monitoring Boards for clinical trials sponsored by AstraZeneca.

Figures

**Figure 1. CONVALESCENCE Data Flow Chart. GP, general practitioner; UCL, University College London**

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. World Health Organization WHO covid-19 dashboard. [30-May-2025]; https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/cases Available. accessed.
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1. Lutchmansingh DD, Knauert MP, Antin-Ozerkis DE, et al. A Clinic Blueprint for Post-Coronavirus Disease 2019 RECOVERY: Learning From the Past, Looking to the Future. Chest. 2021;159:949–58. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2020.10.067. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Gupta A, Madhavan MV, Sehgal K, et al. Extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19. Nat Med. 2020;26:1017–32. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0968-3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Zhou F, Yu T, Du R, et al. Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. The Lancet. 2020;395:1054–62. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30566-3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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Cohort profile: characterisation, determinants, mechanisms and consequences of the long-term effects of COVID-19 - providing the evidence base for health care services (CONVALESCENCE) in the UK

Affiliations

Cohort profile: characterisation, determinants, mechanisms and consequences of the long-term effects of COVID-19 - providing the evidence base for health care services (CONVALESCENCE) in the UK

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical

Miscellaneous