Author
Abstract

<p><b>IMPORTANCE: </b>Persistent symptoms and disability following SARS-CoV-2 infection, known as post-COVID-19 condition or "long COVID," are frequently reported and pose a substantial personal and societal burden.</p><p><b>OBJECTIVE: </b>To determine time to recovery following SARS-CoV-2 infection and identify factors associated with recovery by 90 days.</p><p><b>DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: </b>For this prospective cohort study, standardized ascertainment of SARS-CoV-2 infection was conducted starting in April 1, 2020, across 14 ongoing National Institutes of Health-funded cohorts that have enrolled and followed participants since 1971. This report includes data collected through February 28, 2023, on adults aged 18 years or older with self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infection.</p><p><b>EXPOSURE: </b>Preinfection health conditions and lifestyle factors assessed before and during the pandemic via prepandemic examinations and pandemic-era questionnaires.</p><p><b>MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: </b>Probability of nonrecovery by 90 days and restricted mean recovery times were estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to assess multivariable-adjusted associations with recovery by 90 days.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Of 4708 participants with self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infection (mean [SD] age, 61.3 [13.8] years; 2952 women [62.7%]), an estimated 22.5% (95% CI, 21.2%-23.7%) did not recover by 90 days post infection. Median (IQR) time to recovery was 20 (8-75) days. By 90 days post infection, there were significant differences in restricted mean recovery time according to sociodemographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics, particularly by acute infection severity (outpatient vs critical hospitalization, 32.9 days [95% CI, 31.9-33.9 days] vs 57.6 days [95% CI, 51.9-63.3 days]; log-rank P < .001). Recovery by 90 days post infection was associated with vaccination prior to infection (hazard ratio [HR], 1.30; 95% CI, 1.11-1.51) and infection during the sixth (Omicron variant) vs first wave (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.06-1.49). These associations were mediated by reduced severity of acute infection (33.4% and 17.6%, respectively). Recovery was unfavorably associated with female sex (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79-0.92) and prepandemic clinical cardiovascular disease (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.71-0.99). No significant multivariable-adjusted associations were observed for age, educational attainment, smoking history, obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or elevated depressive symptoms. Results were similar for reinfections.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: </b>In this cohort study, more than 1 in 5 adults did not recover within 3 months of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Recovery within 3 months was less likely in women and those with preexisting cardiovascular disease and more likely in those with COVID-19 vaccination or infection during the Omicron variant wave.</p>

Year of Publication
2024
Journal
JAMA network open
Volume
7
Issue
6
Number of Pages
e2417440
Date Published
06/2024
ISSN Number
2574-3805
DOI
10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.17440
Alternate Journal
JAMA Netw Open
PMCID
PMC11184459
PMID
38884994
Download citation