clinical and biological characterization of post covid-19 syndrome

Conditions: Long COVID

Summary: the goal of this observational study is to describe the symptoms that persist for more than 12 weeks after the acute episode in participants who had covid-19, and compare the functional, socioeconomic and occupational effects with a post-covid-19 control group without persistent symptoms after the covid-19 acute event. the main questions it aims to answer are: * what are the characteristics of symptoms that persist for more than 12 weeks in participants who have had covid19 in the last year? * what are the health-related quality of life and psychosocial effects in participants with persistent symptoms of covid-19, compared to a post-covid-19 control group without persistent symptoms after the acute episode of covid-19?

two groups of cases and one group of controls will be included. a group of cases with persistent respiratory and/or cardiovascular symptoms (cardiorespiratory cases), and another group with persistent non-cardiorespiratory symptoms. participants who report at least two symptoms of intensity greater than or equal to severe will be classified as non-cardiorespiratory cases. controls will be participants with a history of confirmed sars-cov-2 infection, but without current or past persistent symptoms (ie, who resolved their symptoms during the acute episode or whose symptoms did not persist more than 4 weeks after onset). controls will be matched to cases by sex, age (with a margin of up to ±5 years), and time since diagnosis of the covid-19 episode considered as the origin of post-covid-19 symptoms in the cases (with a margin of of ±30 days). the visit will include the application of the questionnaires for the evaluation of symptoms and quality of life associated with health, the clinical evaluation and the extraction of a blood sample. the extraction of a blood sample will allow biochemical determinations, the complete blood count and vitamin d level to be carried out. subsequently, an aliquot will be reserved for mechanistic evaluation (inflammatory markers, immunological and microrna studies).

Eligibility criteria:
two groups of cases and one group of controls will be included. a group of cases with persistent respiratory and/or cardiovascular symptoms (cardiorespiratory cases), and another group with persistent non-cardiorespiratory symptoms. for participation in the study, people who meet the following inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria will be considered. inclusion criteria: * age equal to or greater than 18 years; * documented sars-cov-2 infection by pcr or antigen test; * ability to understand the objectives of the study; * acceptance to participate in the study and willingness to sign the informed consent. * permanent residence in buenos aires metropolitan area. exclusion criteria: * women who report being pregnant, who are in the puerperium or lactation period at the time of the evaluation. * people with known chronic debilitating conditions, defined as: i. heart failure, ii. symptomatic coronary heart disease, iii. diagnosis of cancer in the last 5 years iv. symptomatic anemia, v. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or greater than moderate asthma, vi. heart valve disease more than mild, vii. cognitive impairment prior to the diagnosis of covid-19, viii. diagnosis of schizophrenia or depression, ix. any other condition that, at the discretion of the treating professional or the research team, may explain or justify the aforementioned symptoms. * participants who are undergoing an acute pathology or who have undergone it in the last 4 weeks. in this case, they may be contacted again, after the period of time considered acceptable by the treating professional or the research team to invite them to participate.

Keywords: post-acute covid-19 syndrome long covid post-covid conditions post acute covid-19 syndrome