Table 2.
Long COVID cohort divided with regard to the acute infection
| Variable | Outpatient | Hospitalized without oxygen supplementation | Hospitalized with oxygen supplementation | p value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants (n; %) | 12 | 7 | 8 | – |
| Female sex (n; %) | 8 (66.7) | 2 (28.6) | 2 (25) | 0.11 |
| Age [years, median (IQR)] | 54 (36–58) | 44 (32–63) | 59 (47–61) | 0.35 |
| BMI [kg/m2, median (IQR)] | 26.3 (21.2–29.1) | 26.6 (24–28) | 28.04 (24.72–29.30) | 0.67 |
| Critical illness (n; %) | – | – | 3 (37.5) | – |
| Days after COVID-19 infection | 550 (236–588) | 314 (290–566) | 553 (474–559) | 0.50 |
| CCI score [median (IQR)] | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.16 |
| Long COVID symptoms (n; %) | ||||
| > 1 Symptoms | 12 (100) | 5 (71.4) | 6 (75) | 0.15 |
| Fatigue/Weakness | 10 (83.3) | 7 (100) | 6 (75) | 0.39 |
| Dyspnea | 12 (100) | 5 (71.4) | 5 (62.5) | 0.08 |
| Chest discomfort | 4 (33.3) | 2 (28.6) | 0 (0) | 0.19 |
| Neurocognitive dysfunction | 1 (8.3) | 2 (28.6) | 1 (12.5) | 0.48 |
| Persistent cough | 2 (16.7) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.26 |
| Headache | 1 (8.3) | 0 (0) | 1 (12.5) | 0.65 |
| Sublingual videomicroscopy [median (IQR)] | ||||
| PBR (µm) | 2.15 (1.97–2.29) | 2.12 (2.03–2.31) | 2.16 (2.0–2.22) | 0.98 |
| Capillary density (10−2 mm/mm2) | 46.30 (43.03–81.04) | 46.16 (21.96–51.48) | 49.55 (40.64–67.92) | 0.36 |
| VRBC4–7 µm (µm/sec) | 119.84 (106.85–131.87) | 105.40 (94.89–126.47) | 121.99 (103.88–151.22) | 0.43 |
| VRBC≥10 µm (µm/sec) | 129.82 (120–130.72) | 123.24 (113.01–133.71) | 122.86 (119.09–131.96) | 0.87 |
| MVHS (points) | 2.62 (2.26–4.19) | 2.70 (1.44–2.93) | 2.77 (2.21–3.05) | 0.67 |
*p values were calculated with the use of Kruskal–Wallis test among the three groups