Subjects’ baseline characteristics
| Post-COVID (n = 45) | Controls (n = 52)a | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (mean) (range) (yr) | 58 (18–87) | 57 (24–73) |
| Male sex (No.) (%) | 24 (53.33) | 28 (53.85) |
| [18F] FDG administered dose (mean) (SD) (mCi) | 12.28 (3.18) | 11.88 (2.59) |
| BMI (mean) (SD) (kg/m2) | 28.62 (7.59) | 28.45 (6.36) |
| Glucose levels (mean) (SD) (mg/dL) | 95.13 (22.90) | 98.04 (23.82) |
| Diabetes (No.) (%) | 3 (6.67) | 6 (11.54) |
| High blood pressure (No.) (%) | 14 (31.11) | 21 (40.38) |
| Delay between positive RT-PCR and imaging (mean) (SD) (mo) | 6.57 (4.85) | – |
| COVID-19 severity mild/moderate or severe (No.) (%) | 37/8 (82.22/17.78) | – |
| Hospitalization (No.) (%) | 15 (33.33%) | |
| Oxygen supplementation (No.) (%) | 9 (20.00%) | |
| Mechanical ventilation (No.) (%) | 2 (4.44%) | |
| COVID-19 vaccine at any time before [18F] FDG-PET scan (No.) (%) | 28 (62.2) | – |
| Symptoms (No.) (%) | ||
| Dysosmia/dysgeusiab | 17 (37.80) | – |
| Fever | 16 (35.6) | – |
| Chills | 6 (13.3) | – |
| Cough | 16 (35.6) | – |
| Dyspnea | 8 (17.8) | – |
| Chest pain | 2 (4.4) | – |
| Pharyngitis | 4 (8.9) | – |
| Rhinitis | 3 (6.7) | – |
| Headache | 4 (8.9) | – |
| Fatigue | 7 (15.6) | – |
| Muscular pain | 1 (2.2) | – |
| Dysgeusia | 1 (2.2) | – |
| Anosmia/hyposmia | 1 (2.2) | – |
| Diarrhea | 4 (8.9) | – |
| Loss of appetite | 2 (4.4) | – |
| Neurologic symptoms at time of imaging (No.) (%)c | ||
| Persistent headaches | 3 (6.7) | |
| Memory impairment | 1 (2.2) | |
| Difficulty concentrating | 1 (2.2) | |
| Fatigue | 1 (2.2) | |
| Insomnia | 1 (2.2) |
Note:—The en dash indicates not applicable.
a
No statistically significant difference was observed between patients post-COVID and sex- and age-matched controls (P < .05, 2-sample t test for continuous variables, χ2 test for dichotomous variables).
b
Between the time of the initial diagnosis and PET imaging. All other symptoms pertain to the time of the initial diagnosis.
c
Persistent symptoms following COVID-19 infection that were reported in the patients’ records dating no more than 7 days before PET imaging.