COVID-19 symptoms 2 years after infection in hospitalized vs nonhospitalized patients

Editor's Note

This study from Spain finds that 59.7% of hospitalized and 67.5% of nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients had at least one symptom 2 years after infection.

Of 360 hospitalized and 308 nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients analyzed, fatigue (161 vs 147), pain (129 vs 92), and memory loss (72 vs 49) were the most prevalent post-COVID-19 symptoms at 2 years. No significant differences in post-COVID-19 symptoms were found between hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients.

The number of preexisting comorbidities was associated with post-COVID-19 fatigue (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.93) and dyspnea (OR 1.91) in hospitalized patients. The number of preexisting comorbidities (OR 3.75) and the number of symptoms at onset of illness (OR 3.84) were associated with post-COVID-19 fatigue in nonhospitalized patients.

The similar rates of post-COVID-19 symptoms in hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients supports that long COVID will require specific attention independently of whether the patient was hospitalized or not, the researchers say.