TABLE 3.
Neurologic Symptoms and Signs Attributed to Long COVID in Post-hospitalization and Non-hospitalized Neuro-PASC Patients
| Overall | Post-hospitalization Neuro-PASC (PNP) |
Non-hospitalized Neuro-PASC (NNP) |
p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time from symptom onset to clinic visit (month, mean (1 SD)) | 6.8 (3.69) | 7.3 (3.9) | 6.7 (3.6) | 0.14 |
| Subjective impression of recovery compared to pre-COVID-19 baseline (mean % (1 SD)) | 59.8 (23.4) | 55.7 (23.7) | 60.6 (23.4) | 0.07 |
| n = 92 | n = 475 | |||
| No. of neurologic manifestations/symptoms attributed to COVID-19 (median [IQR]) | 7 [5–10] | 7 [5–9] | 7 [5–10] | 0.38 |
| Neurologic symptom n (%) | ||||
| ≥4 | 543 (91) | 89 (89) | 454 (90.8) | 0.58 |
| Brain fog | 487 (81.2) | 86 (86) | 401 (80.2) | 0.21 |
| Headache | 422 (70.3) | 63 (63) | 359 (71.8) | 0.09 |
| Anosmia | 334 (55.7) | 39 (39) | 295 (59) | 0.0003 |
| Dysgeusia | 327 (54.5) | 39 (39) | 288 (57.6) | 0.0009 |
| Dizziness | 297 (49.5) | 49 (49) | 248 (49.6) | 1 |
| Myalgia | 285 (47.5) | 33 (33) | 252 (50.4) | 0.002 |
| Numbness/tingling | 253 (42.2) | 51 (51) | 202 (40.4) | 0.06 |
| Pain other than chest | 243 (40.5) | 39 (39) | 204 (40.8) | 0.82 |
| Tinnitush | 172 (28.7) | 29 (29) | 143 (28.6) | 1 |
| Blurred vision | 156 (26.0) | 23 (23) | 133 (26.6) | 0.53 |
| Seizure | 8 (1.3) | 3 (3) | 5 (1) | 0.13 |
| Movement disordera | 7 (1.2) | 1 (1) | 6 (1.2) | 1 |
| Ischemic Stroke | 7 (1.2) | 2 (2) | 5 (1) | 0.33 |
| Encephalitis | 2 (0.3) | 1 (1) | 1 (0.2) | 0.31 |
| Focal motor deficitb | 1 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.2) | 1 |
| Focal sensory deficit | 1 (0.2) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | 0.17 |
| Hemorrhagic stroke | 1 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.2) | 1 |
| Meningitis | 1 (0.2) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | 0.17 |
| Polyradiculitisc | 1 (0.2) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | 0.17 |
| Other symptom n (%) | ||||
| Fatigue | 515 (85.8) | 84 (84) | 431 (86.2) | 0.53 |
| Depression/Anxiety | 416 (69.3) | 69 (69) | 347 (69.4) | 1 |
| Insomnia | 342 (57.0) | 60 (60) | 282 (56.4) | 0.58 |
| Shortness of breath | 290 (48.3) | 72 (72) | 218 (43.6) | <0.0001 |
| Dysautonomiad,i | 204 (34.0) | 35 (35) | 169 (33.8) | 0.82 |
| Chest pain | 178 (29.7) | 41 (41) | 137 (27.4) | 0.008 |
| GI symptomse | 162 (27.0) | 21 (21) | 141 (28.2) | 0.17 |
| Sign n/n tested (%) | ||||
| Abnormal exam | 233/563 (41.4) | 61/98 (62.2) | 172/465 (37.0) | <0.0001 |
| Short-term memory deficit | 135/563 (24.0) | 37/98 (37.8) | 98/465 (21.1) | 0.0007 |
| Attention deficit | 66/563 (11.7) | 22/98 (22.4) | 44/465 (9.5) | 0.0008 |
| Sensory dysfunctionf | 47/563 (8.3) | 18/98 (18.4) | 29/465 (6.2) | 0.0004 |
| Gait dysfunction | 33/563 (5.9) | 16/98 (16.3) | 17/465 (3.7) | <0.0001 |
| Motor dysfunction | 24/563 (4.3) | 13/98 (13.3) | 11/465 (2.4) | <0.0001 |
| Cranial nerve dysfunctiong | 20/563 (3.6) | 5/98 (5.1) | 15/465 (3.2) | 0.37 |
| Movement disorder | 11/563 (2.0) | 3/98 (3.1) | 8/465 (1.7) | 0.42 |
| Cerebellar dysfunction | 5/563 (0.9) | 3/98 (3.1) | 2/465 (0.4) | 0.04 |
PNP: Self-reported abnormal movement (3). NNP: Twitches and jerks (2), functional movement disorder (1), non-specified (4).
PNP: None. NNP: History of right arm and leg numbness with weakness due to a right medullary demyelinating plaque, later determined to be due to multiple sclerosis (1).
PNP: Lumbosacral radiculitis (1). NNP: None.
PNP: Self-reported variation of heart rate (10), POTS (3), variation of blood pressure (1), orthostatic hypotension (0), other non-defined attributed to variation of heart rate and blood pressure. NNP: Self-reported variation of heart rate (39), variation of blood pressure (19), POTS (16) orthostatic hypotension (9).
PNP: Nausea (8), vomiting (2), diarrhea (14), gastroparesis (0). NNP: Nausea (47), vomiting (13), diarrhea (0), gastroparesis (0).
Evaluated for in person visits only.
PNP: Decreased visual acuity, mild (2), right VII nerve weakness (1), obscuration of disc margins (1), sustained end gaze nystagmus (1). NNP: Decreased visual acuity ranging from mild to severe (4), facial nerve paralysis (3), nystagmus, non-specified (2), baseline optic neuropathy due to NAION (1), left afferent pupillary defect and pale optic nerve (1), hearing decreased in right side (2) with Weber lateralizing to the right (1), right hypertropia with left supraduction (1).
1NNP patient reported auditory hallucinations, hearing music/melody for a few seconds 2 to 3 times a week.
1 NNP patient reported fluctuations in body temperature.