Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of enrolled patients according to persistent COVID-19 symptoms.
| Overall (n = 316) | No persistent symptoms (n = 115) | Persistent symptoms (n = 201) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | ||||
| Age (years) | 64.1 ± 14.3 | 64.7 ± 13.7 | 63.8 ± 14.7 | .62 |
| >65 | 156 (49.4) | 60 (52.2) | 96 (47.8) | .45 |
| Female | 129 (40.8) | 36 (31.3) | 93 (46.3) | .01 |
| Body mass index (kg/m²) | 30.27 ± 6.6 | 29.9 ± 7.0 | 30.4 ± 6.2 | .45 |
| Obesity >30 kg/m² | 147 (47) | 48 (42.5) | 99 (49.5) | .23 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Hypertension | 165 (52.2) | 51 (44.3) | 114 (56.7) | .03 |
| Diabetes | 85 (26.9) | 34 (29.6) | 51 (25.4) | .42 |
| Smoking | 119 (37.7) | 48 (41.7) | 71 (35.3) | .28 |
| Chronic cardiovascular disease | 97 (30.7) | 38 (30.0) | 59 (29.4) | .49 |
| Chronic lung disease | 68 (21.5) | 26 (22.6) | 42 (20.9) | .72 |
| Chronic kidney failure | 17 (5.4) | 7 (6.1) | 10 (5.0) | .67 |
| Neoplasia | 12 (3.8) | 5 (4.3) | 7 (3.5) | .70 |
| Other (pregnancy, hepatic or neurologic diseases, immunocompromised) | 57 (18.0) | 15 (13.0) | 42 (20.9) | .11 |
| Number of comorbidities | 2 (1-3) | 2 (0-3) | 2 (1-3) | .62 |
| 0 | 67 (21.2) | 30 (26.1) | 37 (18.4) | .27 |
| 1 or 2 | 134 (42.4) | 46 (40) | 88 (43.8) | - |
| 3 or more | 115 (36.4) | 39 (33.9) | 76 (37.8) | - |
| Chronic treatments | ||||
| Corticosteroids | 17 (5.4) | 6 (5.2) | 11 (5.5) | .92 |
| Immunosuppressive therapy | 21 (6.6) | 11 (9.6) | 10 (5.0) | .12 |
| ACE inhibitors | 68 (21.5) | 29 (25.2) | 39 (19.4) | .23 |
| ARB | 41 (13) | 11 (9.6) | 30 (14.9) | .17 |
| Beta-blocker | 66 (20.9) | 20 (17.4) | 46 (22.9) | .25 |
| Metformin | 50 (15.8) | 21 (18.3) | 29 (14.4) | .37 |
| Disease severity | ||||
| Number of initial symptoms | 5 (3-6) | 4 (3-5) | 5 (4-6) | .006 |
| 0-4 | 145 (45.9) | 69 (60) | 50 (24.9) | <.001 |
| 5 or more | 171 (54.1) | 46 (40) | 151 (75.1) | <.001 |
| ICU admission | 115 (36.4) | 41 (35.7) | 74 (36.8) | .84 |
| Oxygen requirement | ||||
| None | 39 (12.3) | 17 (14.8) | 22 (10.9) | .38 |
| O2<4l/min | 135 (42.7) | 47 (40.9) | 88 (43.8) | .57 |
| O2>4l/min | 50 (15.8) | 22 (19.0) | 28 (12.4) | .23 |
| HFNC or NIV | 38 (12.0) | 16 (13.7) | 22 (10.9) | .45 |
| IMV | 53 (16.8) | 13 (11.3) | 40 (19.9) | .05 |
| Laboratory results | ||||
| Nadir lymphocyte (/mm3) | 804 ± 385 | 795 ± 395 | 814 ± 379 | .68 |
| Lymphopenia <750/mm3 | 158 (50.9) | 63 (55.3) | 95 (48.5) | .25 |
| CRP max (mg/L) | 140 ± 94 | 139 ± 94 | 142 ± 96 | .76 |
| CRP > 150mg/L | 122 (39.1) | 44 (38.9) | 78 (39.2) | .96 |
| Lung parenchymal involvement at CT scan | .46 | |||
| No parenchymal abnormalities | 18 (7.1) | 10 (10.4) | 8 (5.1) | |
| <25% | 95 (37.5) | 34 (35.4) | 61 (38.9) | |
| 25%-50% | 81 (32.0) | 30 (31.3) | 51 (32.5) | |
| >50% | 59 (23.3) | 22 (22.9) | 37 (23.6) | |
| Clinical course | ||||
| Length of stay in hospital in days (IQR) | 10 (6-19) | 11 (6-16) | 10 (6-21) | .84 |
| 1-6 | 88 (27.8) | 35 (30.4) | 53 (26.4) | .44 |
| 7 or more | 228 (72.2) | 80 (69.6) | 148 (73.3) | - |
| Infectious complications | 57 (18) | 17 (14.8) | 40 (19.9) | .26 |
| Thrombotic complications | 23 (7.3) | 8 (7.0) | 15 (7.5) | .87 |
| Follow-up | ||||
| Time from symptom onset to follow-up (days) | 121 (109-139) | 121 (110-137) | 120 (109-140) | .78 |
| Time from hospital admission to follow-up (days) | 115 (103-130) | 115 (104-130) | 114 (102-131) | .48 |
| Persisting symptoms: | ||||
| Asthenia | 121 (38.3) | 121 (60.2) | ||
| Myalgia | 16 (5.1) | 16 (8) | ||
| Chest pain | 14 (4.4) | 14 (7.0) | ||
| Cough | 19 (6.0) | 19 (9.5) | ||
| Dyspnea | 124 (39.2) | 124 (61.7) | ||
| Anosmia/dysosmia | 20 (6.3) | 20 (10.0) | ||
| Ageusia/dysgeusia | 15 (4.7) | 15 (7.5) | ||
| Headache | 7 (2.2) | 7 (3.5) | ||
| Concentration disorder | 32 (10.1) | 32 (15.9) | ||
| Anxiety/irritability | 29 (9.2) | 29 (14.4) | ||
| Alopecia | 20 (6.3) | 20 (10.0) | ||
| Lung parenchymal involvement at CTscana | .33 | |||
| No parenchymal abnormalities | 122 (40.7) | 48 (43.2) | 74 (39.2) | |
| <25% | 127 (42.4) | 47 (42.3) | 80 (42.3 | |
| 25%-50% | 42 (14.0) | 15 (13.5) | 27 (14.3) | |
| >50% | 9 (3.0) | 1 (0.9) | 8 (4.2) | |
| HAD-A score | 6.7 ± 4.3 | 4.7 ± 3.4 | 7.5 ± 4.3 | <.001 |
| HAD-D score | 5.2 ± 5.1 | 2.8 ± 3.5 | 6.4 ± 5.4 | <.001 |
Quantitative variables are presented as mean ± standard deviation or median (interquartile range); categorical variables are presented as absolute numbers (percentages).
Abbreviations: ACE: angiotensin convertase enzyme; ARB: angiotensin II receptor blocker; CRP: C-reactive protein; CT: computed tomography; HAD: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (a subscale score [A or D] ≥11 denotes anxiety or depression); HNFC: high-flow nasal cannula for oxygen therapy; ICU: intensive care unit; IQR: InterQuartile Range; IMV: invasive mechanical ventilation; NIV: noninvasive ventilation.
a
A total of 300 patients.