Table 1.
Demographic and clinical information of the long COVID and control groups
| Control (28) | Long COVID (109) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (female), n(%)* | 19(70.4%) | 79(72.5%) | 0.88 |
| Age (years), mean ± SD† | 45.2 ± 9.9 | 48.4 ± 8.0 | 0.08 |
| BMI, mean ± SD† | 26.5 ± 3.9 | 28.3 ± 6.1 | 0.21 |
| Education‡, n(%)* | |||
| Basic/Intermediate/Advanced | 3(11.1%) / 12(44.4%) / 9(33.3%) | 12(11.0%) / 52(47.7%) / 45(41.3%) | 0.76 |
| N/A | 3 (11.1%) | 0(0%) | |
| COVID | |||
| Confirmed diagnosis* | 9(32.1%) | 109(100%) | < 0.01 |
|
Severity§, n(%) (Uninfected/mild/ moderate/severe) |
19(70.4%) / 8(29.6%) / 0(0%) / 0(0%) | 0(0%) / 91(83.5%) / 14(12.8%) / 4(3.7%) | |
| Days since first infection, mean ± SD * | 507.1 ± 289.0 | 908.2 ± 260.5 | |
| Vaccinated, n(%) | 28(100%) | 109(100%) | 1 |
| Unvaccinated before first infection, n/T(%)¶ | 2/5(7.4%) | 71/99(71.1%) | |
| Health history, n(%)* | |||
| High blood pressure | 7(25.9%) | 33(30.4%) | 0.75 |
| Diabetes | 1(3.7%) | 6(5.5%) | 1 |
| Asthma | 0(0%) | 8(7.3%) | 0.31 |
| High cholesterol | 8(29.6%) | 28(25.7%) | 0.89 |
| Heart attack | 0(0%) | 1(0.9%) | 1 |
| Angina pectoris | 0(0%) | 1(0.9%) | 1 |
| Embolism or thrombosis | 0(0%) | 2(1.8%) | 1 |
| Blood pressure medication | 7(25.9%) | 25(22.9%) | 1 |
| Aspirins | 0 (0%) | 3(2.8%) | 0.87 |
| Antiplatelets | 1 (3.7%) | 1(0.9%) | 0.87 |
| Smoking status, n(%)* | |||
| Yes | 9(33.3%) | 31(28.4%) | 0.20 |
| Ex-smoker | 3(11.1%) | 29(26.6%) | |
| No | 14(51.9%) | 49(45.0%) | |
| Alcohol use frequency, n(%)* | |||
| Yes, every day | 0(0.0%) | 7(6.4%) | 0.06 |
| Yes, only weekends | 15(55.6%) | 38(34.9%) | |
| No | 0(0.0%) | 0(0.0%) | |
| Symptoms (persists / not anymore / never had it), n(%) | |||
| Memory Problems | 91(83.5%) / 1(0.9%) / 17(15.6%) | ||
| Fatigue | 86(78.9%) / 18(16.5%) / 5(4.6%) | ||
| Brain Fog | 87(79.8%) / 2(1.8%) / 20(18.3%) | ||
| Problems with attention | 86(78.9%) / 3(2.8%) / 20(18.3%) | ||
| Muscle Weakness | 73(67.0%) / 18(16.5%) / 18(16.5%) | ||
| Muscle Ache | 55(50.5%) / 30(27.5%) / 24(22.0%) | ||
| Sleeping Problems | 54(49.5%) / 4(3.7%) / 51(46.8%) | ||
| Dyspnoea | 52(47.7%) / 26(23.9%) / 31(28.4%) | ||
| Communication Problems | 48(44.0%) / 5(4.6%) / 56(51.4%) | ||
| Headaches | 44(40.4%) / 42(38.5%) / 23(21.1%) | ||
| Anosmia | 7(15.6%) / 44(40.4%) / 48(44.0%) | ||
*Chi-square test. †Kruskal Wallis. ‡Education levels defined as the aggregate levels of education presented in ILOSTAT [36]. § Using the WHO clinical progression scale: uninfected, ambulatory mild disease, hospitalised: moderate disease, hospitalised: severe disease. ¶ T is the number of participants with this information available