Symptom patterns of long COVID and chronic illness: a cross-sectional analysis of the SulCovid-19 Study

Abstract Little is known about the natural history and consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Some individuals who have had COVID continue to have symptoms after acute infection, a condition known as long COVID. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify the patterns of long COVID and its relationship with chronic diseases in adults and older adult residents in southern Brazil. Population-based cross-sectional study with data from the baseline of the SulCovid-19 Study. The sample consisted of 2,919 individuals with a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 between December 2020 and March 2021. For the construction of the outcome, 18 symptoms were evaluated. The exhibits were the medical diagnoses of 11 chronic diseases. Symptom patterns were identified using principal component analysis, and associations of patterns with chronic diseases were determined using Poisson regression. Four patterns of long COVID were identified. The cognitive pattern was the most prevalent (20.5%; 95% CI 19.0;22.0), followed by respiratory (15.7%; 95% CI 14.4;17.1), neuromusculoskeletal (15.4%; 95% CI 14.1;16.7) and neurosensory (14.0%; 95% CI 12.8;15.3). Heart problems, anxiety and back problems were associated with all patterns. Persistent symptoms after COVID-19 infection may constitute pattern behavior. Chronic illnesses increase the likelihood of developing long COVID symptom patterns.