Long COVID-19 in Mildly Symptomatic Patients: Another Vaccine Incentive?

Although long-term sequelae after moderate to severe COVID-19 are well documented, lingering effects in patients with mild COVID-19 have not been as thoroughly investigated. Blomberg et al. conducted a prospective long-term study of 312 COVID-19 patients from Bergen, Norway (median age, 46; 247 managed with in-home isolation and 65 hospitalized, together representing 82% of cases in that city’s first wave). The most common comorbidities were asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (12%), hypertension (11%), heart disease (7%), rheumatic disease (6%), and diabetes mellitus (4%).

At 6 months postinfection, 61% of patients had persistent symptoms, most commonly fatigue (37%), problems with concentration (26%), smell or taste disturbances (25%), memory difficulties (24%), and dyspnea (21%). Enduring symptoms were associated with greater illness severity, higher SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers, female gender, and preexisting lung disease. Among teens and young adults (age range, 16–30) not requiring hospitalization, 52% reported ongoing symptoms at 6 months, including smell or taste derangement (28%), fatigue (21%), dyspnea (13%), impaired concentration (13%), and memory deficits (11%). Persistent symptoms were rarely observed in those aged.