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A distinct symptom pattern emerges for COVID-19 long-haul: a nationwide study

  • Melissa D. Pinto
  • , Charles A. Downs
  • , Yong Huang
  • , Sarah A. El-Azab
  • , Nathan S. Ramrakhiani
  • , Anthony Barisano
  • , Lu Yu
  • , Kaitlyn Taylor
  • , Alvaro Esperanca
  • , Heather L. Abrahim
  • , Thomas Hughes
  • , Maria Giraldo Herrera
  • , Amir M. Rahamani
  • , Nikil Dutt
  • , Rana Chakraborty
  • , Christian Mendiola
  • , Natalie Lambert

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Long-haul COVID-19, also called post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), is a new illness caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection and characterized by the persistence of symptoms. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify a distinct and significant temporal pattern of PASC symptoms (symptom type and onset) among a nationwide sample of PASC survivors (n = 5652). The sample was randomly sorted into two independent samples for exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Five factors emerged from the EFA: (1) cold and flu-like symptoms, (2) change in smell and/or taste, (3) dyspnea and chest pain, (4) cognitive and visual problems, and (5) cardiac symptoms. The CFA had excellent model fit (x2 = 513.721, df = 207, p < 0.01, TLI = 0.952, CFI = 0.964, RMSEA = 0.024). These findings demonstrate a novel symptom pattern for PASC. These findings can enable nurses in the identification of at-risk patients and facilitate early, systematic symptom management strategies for PASC.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number15905
JournalScientific reports
Volume12
Issue number1
Early online dateSep 23 2022
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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