Long COVID Signal

Trends in Financial Hardship by COVID-19 Infection History, Long COVID Status, and Day-to-Day Activity Limitations: A National Study of US Adults - PubMed The persistent link between activity-limiting long COVID and financial hardship underscores the need for integrated policy responses.

Financial hardship was 27 percentage points higher with severe long COVID, 9 points higher with mild limitations.

These gaps remained stable over 2 years vs never-infected adults in US national survey obs study. (n=1,367,829) #LongCovid

Sickness presenteeism due to respiratory infection in the English workforce: prevalence estimates and demographic factors from the Winter COVID-19 Infection Study (WCIS)

One in six workers went to work while sick with respiratory infections, with 1 in 10 attending non-home workplaces.

Workers spent ~1 day working while sick at 75% capacity. Higher rates in younger, White, hybrid workers & those with Long COVID in English obs study. #LongCovid

Post-COVID-19 conditions identified by ICD-10-CM code in a cohort of U.S. primary care patients, 2021 - 2023 - PubMed Compared to adults who self-report Long COVID in nationally representative population-based surveys, patient characteristics in this cohort highlight a potential diagnosis gap - particularly for patients with rural residence or high county-level socioeconomic deprivation. Given frequent healthcare u …

Primary care visits remained 30% higher after long COVID diagnosis vs pre-pandemic baseline.

Patients averaged 12.7 visits/year before diagnosis, 9.2 after. Rural and high-deprivation areas underdiagnosed vs survey data in US obs study. (n=10,265) #LongCovid

Biomarkers of long COVID in children and young adults: a scoping review - PubMed • A total of 41 biomarker occurrences were identified by selected studies, which were consistent with expected physiology behind reported symptoms. • The body of data discussed suggests the presence of physiological phenomena behind the long-term symptoms experienced by pediatric long- COVID patient …

41 biomarker differences identified between young patients and healthy controls.

Markers aligned with reported symptoms across organ systems, supporting physiological basis for pediatric long COVID in scoping review of 9 studies. #LongCovid

Widespread ncaas Imprints in the Serum Proteome of COVID-19 Convalescents Uncovering Immune System Sequelae - PubMed Post-COVID-19 sequelae has become an emerging global health issue, but the mechanisms for the sustained susceptibility of convalescents to the sequelae remain poorly understood. Here we report the use of a restricted open-search approach to explore the molecular imprints of SARS-CoV-2 infection left …

Chemical modifications to immune proteins persisted 12 months after COVID-19 recovery.

827 protein alterations found affecting antibodies, complement system & blood clotting. Changes concentrated in antibody binding regions in patients in obs study. (n=412) #LongCovid

Longitudinal modeling of Post-COVID-19 condition over three years: A machine learning approach using clinical, neuropsychological, and fluid markers - PubMed Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) manifests with prolonged, heterogeneous symptoms challenging both, diagnosis and therapeutic management. This three-year longitudinal study analyzed data from 93 adults (mean age of 48.9 ± 14.0, 60 female) after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Every follow-up visit incl …

Inflammatory markers best predicted patient health stages across 3-year follow-up.

Machine learning achieved 90% accuracy using inflammation, antibodies & cognitive measures. Patient differences increased over time in longit. study. (n=93) #LongCovid

Prevalence and trajectories of post-COVID-19 neuromuscular conditions: A systematic-review and meta-analysis - PubMed NMDs and related symptoms are common following COVID-19, but their general prevalence decreases with time. However, trajectories varied depending on the type of NMD or symptom.

Neuromuscular conditions affected 36% of patients acutely but dropped to 8% by 2 years.

Myalgia declined from 35% to 8%, while neuropathic pain persisted at 25% at 12 months. Trajectories varied by condition type in syst review. (n=15,865,322) #LongCovid

Pre-COVID-19 Body Mass Index and Postacute Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal, and Neuropsychiatric Outcomes Among Children and Young Adults With SARS-CoV-2 Infection: An EHR-based Cohort Study from the RECOVER Initiative - PubMed In this cohort study, pre-COVID-19 BMI status was associated with the risk and pattern of postacute cardiovascular and gastrointestinal outcomes among children and young adults. Association between pre-infection BMI and neuropsychiatric outcomes was more variable and should be interpreted with cauti …

Severe obesity linked to 2.6x higher cardiovascular risk and 3.7x higher hypertension risk post-COVID.

Also increased risk of diarrhea (34%) and reflux (29%). Neuropsychiatric associations varied in youth aged 5-20 across 20 US health systems in obs study. (n=139,320) #LongCovid

Multi-organ structural and functional deficits in association with long COVID: a population-based case-control study

Blood pressure was 76% more likely to be elevated in patients vs controls.

No marked deficits found in brain, heart, lung, kidney MRI or functional tests. Difference increased to 3x in patients with fatigue in UK population-based obs study. (n=421) #LongCovid

Long COVID following SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy: An observational study in a large Italian hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic - PubMed Our data suggest that one in four pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19 develop persistent symptoms. The most frequently affected women had preexisting respiratory disease, pneumonia at admission, and infection earlier in pregnancy. COVID-19 vaccination appears to reduce risk and alter symptom p …

27% of hospitalized pregnant women developed long COVID, with vaccination reducing risk by 62%.

Pneumonia at admission (4.5x risk), respiratory conditions (3x risk), and earlier pregnancy infection increased risk in Italian obs study. (n=348) #LongCovid

Increased Arrhythmia Risk in Long COVID: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PubMed The risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias is increased after COVID-19 infection in the long term.

Heart rhythm disorders were 74% more common in patients vs healthy controls.

Atrial fibrillation risk up 49%, ventricular arrhythmias up 72%. More severe initial infection linked to higher arrhythmia risk in syst review of 14 studies. #LongCovid

Use of a Specialist Telephone Consultation Line for Long COVID in Primary Care in British Columbia: Retrospective Descriptive Quality Improvement Study - PubMed The GIM-COVID-19 Long-Term Sequelae RACE line served as a critical early support system for primary care providers as the long COVID landscape evolved. This quality improvement study emphasizes the value of rapid access and specialist-informed consultation tools during emerging public health challen …

Respiratory symptoms dominated specialist phone consultations, accounting for 40% of all reported symptoms.

Shortness of breath (35 calls), cough (26), and fatigue (23) were most common. #LongCovid

Efficacy of heat-treated Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PS23 for individuals with long coronavirus disease-19 syndrome: a double-blinded randomized control pilot study - PubMed The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-27036-3.

Heat-treated probiotic PS23 lowered cortisol levels and reduced cognitive errors vs placebo.

Also improved breathing difficulties and appetite loss after 6 weeks in patients with persistent symptoms in double-blind RCT. (n=39)

Latent transition analysis for longitudinal studies of post-acute infection syndromes - PubMed Post-Acute Infectious Syndromes (PAIS) refer to the symptoms persisting months after initial infection. Clinical research studies on this topic often collect rich, multi-modal datasets. Yet, the complexity of the datasets and the lack of a precise clinical case definition pose difficulties in creati …

A new statistical framework identified distinct long COVID phenotypes and tracked how patients transition between them over time.

Age and sex influenced disease trajectories across 5,094 assessments at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months in European obs study.

Impaired brain intrinsic connectivity in long COVID during cognitive exertion revealed by independent component analysis - PubMed Cognitive dysfunction is a symptom of Long COVID. To characterize functional connectivity changes that may contribute to cognitive dysfunction in Long COVID (LCov), two consecutive 450 s functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans (Runs 1 and 2) were acquired on a 7 Tesla MRI scanner. During …

Brain network communication was impaired during cognitive tasks in long COVID patients vs healthy controls.

Salience, language & executive networks showed connectivity deficits. Longer illness linked to weaker connections. Response times slower in 7T fMRI obs...

Potential application of brain-gut axis-based treatments in Long COVID and ME/CFS: a case-based systematic review - PubMed Brain-gut axis-based interventions may alleviate fatigue in ME/CFS and Long COVID by potentially modulating neuroinflammation, restoring microbiome balance, and improving epithelial barrier function. EA-based vagal stimulation represents a feasible option for patients with severe or treatment-resist …

Synbiotic supplements and herbal therapies improved fatigue and post-exertional malaise.

Brain stimulation (tDCS) plus exercise helped, but nerve stimulation alone showed limited benefit in 8 RCTs of brain-gut axis treatments in syst review. (n=790)

The lived experience of long COVID: A thematic analysis of an in-depth interview study - PubMed Long COVID is associated with significant physical and mental health burden, resulting in substantial quality of life limitations. The lived experience of individuals with long COVID is a vital consideration in evaluating the impact of the condition. Thirty-four adults with self-reported long COVID …

Long COVID patients experienced decreased autonomy, trust, and certainty about their future.

Five key themes emerged: loss of independence, reduced trust in systems, worldview changes, social impacts, and pervasive uncertainty in qual study. (n=34)

Circulating mitochondrial and cellular damage markers in long COVID: Links to cognitive function, psychological distress, and inflammation - PubMed Persistent mitochondrial inflexibility and mitochondrial damage may contribute to Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). However, data linking mitochondrial biomarkers, such as circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA (ccf-mtDNA) to long-COVID symptoms remain limited. We analyzed ccf-mtDNA relative …

Lower mitochondrial DNA levels were linked to worse cognitive function in long COVID vs recovered controls. Patients also had higher inflammation (CRP) and 25% showed low-grade inflammation in nested case-control study. (n=228)

Neurological deficits persisted in 24% of Nipah virus survivors, rising to 45% among those with brain inflammation. 10% developed late-onset symptoms after initial recovery in Malaysia/Singapore syst review.

📄 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.03.26345343v1

Lower mitochondrial DNA levels were linked to worse cognitive function in long COVID vs recovered controls. Patients also had higher inflammation (CRP) and 25% showed low-grade inflammation in nested case-control study. (n=228)

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41654652/

Loneliness increased significantly during COVID-19 and remained elevated post-pandemic vs pre-pandemic levels, especially in women. Higher policy restrictions linked to greater loneliness in curvilinear pattern in adults 65+ across 27 European...

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41656367/

American Indian/Alaska Native adults had 72% higher current long COVID odds vs whites. Rural residents had 16% higher odds vs urban. Uninsured had 24% higher current odds vs insured in US obs study. (n=80,093,998)

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41654702/

Remote blood sampling achieved 98% retention in underserved women with COVID-19 over 6 months. All participants said they'd join similar studies again, with most willing to participate for 4+ years in longit. study. (n=40)

📄 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.05.26345688v1

Repeated COVID infections were linked to progressively higher COPD exacerbation risk (2.4x after 3+ infections vs none) and death risk (2.9x) in Korean COPD patients. Long COVID was most common after first infection in retro study. (n=313,760)

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41651528/

Fatigue and dyspnea affected a considerable proportion of long COVID patients for 1-24 months post-infection, but research methods varied widely across studies in syst review. (n=30,682)

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41646510/

Long COVID patients scored lowest (54/100) on shared decision-making with doctors, below endometriosis (58) and well under cancer (70) and depression (69) in French chronic disease patients obs study. (n=2,087)

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41649074/

Higher antibody levels 28 days after COVID were linked to long COVID symptoms 8-10 months later. 16% of household contacts had asymptomatic infection. Fever and loss of smell occurred in nearly half of patients in US household cohort. (n=143)

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41642857/

Australian researchers will track long COVID rates in children 0-18 years vs influenza over 12 months using quality of life and fatigue measures in South Australia longit. study.

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41642863/

COVID-19 was linked to higher future pneumonia risk vs controls: 3.7x higher for hospitalized patients, 1.4x for non-hospitalized. Risk highest in Medicaid/Medicare patients and those with unmet social needs in Bronx obs study. (n=1,328,844)

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40560542/

A new statistical framework (RobustPALMRT) detected immune differences between long COVID patients and controls that previous methods missed due to highly skewed biological data in immunological analysis.

📄 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41641915/