Thread by @ejustin46

𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗-19 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 22 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘆.

Follow-up of over 120,000 participants 👍
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…

2) This was a large prospective cohort study from Norway that investigated the trajectories of cognitive and physical symptoms before, during, and after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Over 120,000 participants were followed for up to 22 months.

3) Persistent symptoms among those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to those who tested negative included memory problems, concentration problems, anosmia/dysgeusia, dyspnea, fatigue, and self-reported worsening of overall health.

4) Memory and concentration problems appeared to increase after infection and persisted throughout the entire follow-up period, unlike most other symptoms which peaked during the acute phase and then decreased over time.

5) Those with more severe initial COVID-19 illness (longer time bedridden) were at higher risk of developing persistent symptoms.
Validated questionnaires also found positive participants reported more functional memory problems and poorer working memory than negatives.

6) Results were consistent across several sensitivity analyses and additional studies including antibody testing and a phone survey to address non-response bias.

7) In summary, the study found clear evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to long-term cognitive and other physical symptoms, with memory/concentration issues being particularly persistent. This has implications for understanding and managing long COVID.

Thanks 🙏