Prevalence and Predictors of Persistence of COVID-19 Symptoms in Older Adults: A Single-Center Study.
Matteo Tosato, Angelo Carfì, Ilaria Martis and 15 others
PMID 34352201WHAT IT FOUND
83% of older adults recovering from COVID-19 reported persistent symptoms, especially fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain and cough.
Acute fatigue was associated with higher persistence, and symptoms tended to be less common later after discharge.
Key findings
01Among 165 older adults, 137 (83%) reported at least one persistent symptom on admission.
02The most common persistent symptoms were fatigue (53.1%), shortness of breath (51.5%), joint pain (22.2%) and cough (16.7%).
03In the fully adjusted model, acute fatigue was associated with higher symptom persistence (prevalence ratio 2.67; 95% CI 1.01–10.6), and more days since discharge were associated with lower symptom persistence (prevalence ratio 0.97; 95% CI 0.95–0.99).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
It was a single-centre study with a relatively small analysis sample of 165 patients and no control group of people followed after other acute infections. Patients were community-dwelling and able to walk independently, so the findings may not apply to frailer or non-ambulatory older adults. The study did not record symptom history before acute COVID-19 or grade symptom severity. Recall bias cannot be ruled out because patients with more severe acute illness or persistent symptoms may remember symptoms differently. Some adjusted associations were imprecise, with wide confidence intervals.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the associations as proof that acute fatigue, oxygen support or enoxaparin caused persistent symptoms. This was a single-centre observational study without a control group, and several adjusted estimates were imprecise.