Clinical features, therapeutic outcomes, and recovery period of long COVID

To characterize the clinical features of long COVID, 286 patients who received care in our outpatient clinic for long COVID from May to December 2021 were surveyed. The recovery periods of each symptom and the key factors contributing to early recovery were statistically analysed. The median age of the patients was 35.8 years, with 137 men and 149 women. The median number of symptoms was 2.8. The most frequent symptoms were respiratory manifestations (52.1%), followed by fatigue (51.4%). Respiratory symptoms, fatigue, and headache/arthralgia were major complaints in the initial phase, whereas hair loss was a major complaint in the late phase, suggesting that the chief complaint of patients with long COVID may vary temporally. The best treatment outcome was observed for pulmonary symptoms, and hair loss had the worst outcome. COVID-19 severity, the number of manifestations, and the delay in starting treatment exerted a negative effect on the recovery period of long COVID. In addition, the smoking habit was an independent risk factor for slowing the recovery period from long COVID. This study provides insights into the clinical course of each manifestation and therapeutic options with a more certain future of long COVID to meet the unmet medical needs.

Automated summary

This study surveyed 286 patients with long COVID who received care in an outpatient clinic from May to December 2021 to characterize the clinical features of the condition. The median age of the patients was 35.8 years, with slightly more women than men. The most common symptoms were respiratory manifestations and fatigue, with hair loss being a major complaint in the late phase. The severity of COVID-19, the number of symptoms, and the delay in starting treatment were all found to negatively affect the recovery period of long COVID. Additionally, smoking was identified as an independent risk factor for a slower recovery period.