(HealthDay News) — The majority of individuals who experience mild or moderate COVID-19 infection have persistent symptoms more than 30 days after diagnosis, according to a study published online Aug. 4 in PLOS ONE.
Melanie L. Bell, Ph.D., from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and colleagues estimated the prevalence of postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) — defined as experiencing at least one symptom ≥30 days — and the prevalence of individual symptoms among 303 nonhospitalized individuals with a positive lab-confirmed COVID-19 test and mild or moderate disease with follow-up for a median 61 days.
The researchers found that the prevalence of PASC at 30 days postinfection was 68.7%. The median number of symptoms was three, with the most commonly reported symptoms including fatigue (37.5%), shortness of breath (37.5%), brain fog (30.8%), and stress/anxiety (30.8%). Among a subset of 157 participants with follow-up ≥60 days, PASC prevalence was 77.1%.
“This is a real wake-up call for anyone who has not been vaccinated,” Bell said in a statement. “If you get COVID, the chances that you’ll experience long-term symptoms are surprisingly high.”
