Definition of the Post-COVID syndrome using a symptom-based Post-COVID score in a prospective, multi-center, cross-sectoral cohort of the German National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON)
Katharina S. Appel, Carolin Nürnberger, Thomas Bahmer, Christian Förster, Maria Cristina Polidori, Mirjam Kohls, T. Kraus, Nora Hettich-Damm, Julia Petersen, Sabine Blaschke, Isabel Bröhl, Jana Butzmann, Hiwa Dashti, Jürgen Deckert, Michael Dreher, K Fiedler, Carsten Finke, Ramsia Geisler, Frank Hanses, Sina M. Hopff, Björn‐Erik Ole Jensen, Margarethe Konik, Kristin Lehnert, Susana M. Nunes de Miranda, Lazar Mitrov, Olga Miljukov, Jens‐Peter Reese, Gernot Rohde, Margarete Scherer, Kristin Tausche, Johannes Tebbe, Jörg Janne Vehreschild, Florian Voit, Patricia Wagner, Martin Weigl, Christina Lemhöfer, the NAPKON Study Group, Khaled O. Alsaad, Eckard Hamelmann, Holger Heidenreich, Claudia Hornberg, N. S. A. Kulamadayil-Heidenreich, Patricia Maasjosthusmann, A. Muna, M. Ruwe, Christoph Stellbrink, N. Buechner, Y. Dashti, Carl F. Tessmer, Barbara Laumerich, Ingmar Silberbaur, Stephen O. Bader, Michael Engelmann, André Fuchs, A. Langer, Bruno Maerkl, H Messmann, Anna Muzalyova, Christoph Roemmele, Heidi Altmann, Reinhard Berner, Svenja Dreßen, Tobias Koch, Dirk Lindemann, Kristin Seele, Peter Spieth, Nicole Toepfner, Simone von Bonin, Torsten Feldt, Verena Keitel, Alexander Killer, Lisa Knopp, Tom Luedde, M. Lutterbeck, Martha Paluschinski, John Pereira, Jörg Timm, Detlef Kraska, Andreas E. Kremer, Moritz Leppkes, Jonathan M. Mang, M. F. Neurath, Hans U. Prokosch, Jochen Schmid, Marcel Vetter, Carsten Willam, Kathrin Wolf, Christophe Arendt, Carla Bellinghausen, Sabine Cremer, Adrian Groh, A. Gruenewaldt, Yascha Khodamoradi, Svenja Klinsing, Maria J. G. T. Vehreschild, Thomas J. Vogl, Marylyn M. Addo, Maher Almahfoud, Alexander Engels, Dominik Jarczak
Abstract
PURPOSE: The objective examination of the Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) remains difficult due to heterogeneous definitions and clinical phenotypes. The aim of the study was to verify the functionality and correlates of a recently developed PCS score. METHODS: The PCS score was applied to the prospective, multi-center cross-sectoral cohort (in- and outpatients with SARS-CoV-2 infection) of the "National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON, Germany)". Symptom assessment and patient-reported outcome measure questionnaires were analyzed at 3 and 12 months (3/12MFU) after diagnosis. Scores indicative of PCS severity were compared and correlated to demographic and clinical characteristics as well as quality of life (QoL, EQ-5D-5L). RESULTS: Six hundred three patients (mean 54.0 years, 60.6% male, 82.0% hospitalized) were included. Among those, 35.7% (215) had no and 64.3% (388) had mild, moderate, or severe PCS. PCS severity groups differed considering sex and pre-existing respiratory diseases. 3MFU PCS worsened with clinical severity of acute infection (p = .011), and number of comorbidities (p = .004). PCS severity was associated with poor QoL at the 3MFU and 12MFU (p < .001). CONCLUSION: The PCS score correlated with patients' QoL and demonstrated to be instructive for clinical characterization and stratification across health care settings. Further studies should critically address the high prevalence, clinical relevance, and the role of comorbidities. TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The cohort is registered at www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov under NCT04768998.