Article
Long-COVID in the primary care setting (FIA LongCov) – results of a retrospective patient survey
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Authors
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Silke Brenne
- Magdeburg, Medizinische Fakultät, Arbeitsbereich HAWIRA, Magdeburg, Deutschland
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Thomas Lichte
- Magdeburg, Medizinische Fakultät, Arbeitsbereich HAWIRA, Magdeburg, Deutschland
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Katja Bachmann
- Magdeburg, Medizinische Fakultät, Arbeitsbereich HAWIRA, Magdeburg, Deutschland
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Robin John
- Magdeburg, Medizinische Fakultät, Arbeitsbereich HAWIRA, Magdeburg, Deutschland
| Published: | September 30, 2022 |
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Outline
Text
Background and status of (inter)national research: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, persistent symptoms have sometimes been observed after Sars-CoV-2 infection [1]. This clinical picture, called long-COVID-syndrome, is reported with a prevalence between 10 and 35% after mild infection [2]. The clinical relevance of existing symptoms is still controversial [3]. As the first point of contact for many patients, primary care plays a key role both in diagnosis and in the initiation of possible therapies.
Research question and objective: A retrospective patient survey was conducted to collect information on long-COVID-syndrome in patients having attended an outpatient PCR test center. The focus is on the reporting of long-COVID symptoms after 3 as well as after 6 months after infection. The aim is to estimate the prevalence of long-COVID under the following questions and to draw conclusions on adequate primary care:
- 1.
- What is the prevalence for long-COVID?
- 2.
- Do the prevalence of long-COVID differ (1) according to the pandemic wave and the predominant viral variant? (2) by previous vaccination? (3) according to previous diseases?
- 3.
- Which medical care is sought by affected persons?
Method or hypothesis: Retrospective patient survey using a standardized online questionnaire. Patients who received a positive PCR test for Sars-CoV-2 in an outpatient PCR-test center of a family practice between 09/23/2020 and 02/18/2022 and were ≥18 years of age were included. A positive ethics vote from the relevant ethics committee was obtained.
Results: At the time of submission, analyzable data are available from n=220 (03/30/2022) study participants; the survey will be conducted in three waves and will run through September 2022. Results from the first wave of the survey are expected at the beginning of April 2022. Comprehensive results of the entire study period will be available by the time of Congress. The analysis is descriptive.
Discussion: The study will highlight disease burden of long-COVID in the primary care setting and assess clinical relevance.
Practical implications: The sub-objective of the study is to formulate recommendations for action in the primary care setting of long-COVID patients.
Appeal for practice (science and/or care) in one sentence: The results may help raise awareness of potential long-covid symptoms in the primary care setting and enable primary care to be tailored to needs and requirements.
References
- 1.
- Bliddal S, Banasik K, Pedersen OB, Nissen J, Cantwell L, Schwinn M, Tulstrup M, Westergaard D, Ullum H, Brunak S, Tommerup N, Feenstra B, Geller F, Ostrowski SR, Grønbæk K, Nielsen CH, Nielsen SD, Feldt-Rasmussen U. Acute and persistent symptoms in non-hospitalized PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients. Sci Rep. 2021 Jun;11(1):13153. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92045-x
- 2.
- van Kessel SAM, Olde Hartman TC, Lucassen PLBJ, van Jaarsveld CHM. Post-acute and long-COVID-19 symptoms in patients with mild diseases: a systematic review. Fam Pract. 2022 Jan;39(1):159-67. DOI: 10.1093/fampra/cmab076
- 3.
- Lackermair K, Wilhelm K, William F, Grzanna N, Lehmann E, Sams L, Fichtner S, Kellnar A, Estner H. The Prevalence of Persistent Symptoms After COVID-19 Disease. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2022 Mar;119(10):175-6. DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0125
