TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating the fluctuating nature of post-COVID pain symptoms in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors
T2 - the LONG-COVID-EXP multicenter study
AU - Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, César
AU - Pellicer-Valero, Oscar J
AU - Martín-Guerrero, José D
AU - Hernández-Barrera, Valentín
AU - Arendt-Nielsen, Lars
N1 - Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The International Association for the Study of Pain.
PY - 2024/6/17
Y1 - 2024/6/17
N2 - OBJECTIVE: This cohort study used Sankey plots and exponential bar plots for visualizing the fluctuating nature and trajectory of post-COVID pain in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors.METHODS: A cohort of 1266 subjects hospitalised because of COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic were scheduled for a telephone interview at 8.4 (T1), 13.2 (T2), and 18.3 (T3) months in average after hospitalization for collecting data about post-COVID pain. Patients were asked for about pain symptomatology that was attributed to the infection. Hospitalization and clinical data were collected from medical records.RESULTS: The prevalence of myalgia as COVID-19-associated symptom was 29.82% (n = 389) at hospitalization (T0). The prevalence of post-COVID pain was 41.07% (n = 520) at T1, 34.29% (n = 434) at T2, and 28.47% (n = 360) at T3. The recovery exponential curve revealed a decrease trend visualizing that post-COVID pain improved over the time span investigated. Pain in the lower extremity and widespread pain were the most prevalent locations. Female sex (OR 1.507, 95% CI 1.047-2.169), pre-existing pain symptoms (OR 1.724, 95% CI 1.237-2.403), headache as onset-symptom (OR 2.374, 95% CI 1.550-3.639), days at hospital (OR 1.012, 95% CI 1.000-1.025), and presence of post-COVID pain at T1 (OR 13.243, 95% CI 9.428-18.601) were associated with post-COVID pain at T2. Only the presence of post-COVID pain at T1 (OR 5.383, 95% CI 3.896-7.439) was associated with post-COVID pain at T3.CONCLUSION: Current results show a fluctuating evolution with a decreasing tendency of post-COVID pain during the first years after hospitalization. The development of post-COVID pain soon after SARS-CoV-2 infection predispose for long-lasting chronic pain.
AB - OBJECTIVE: This cohort study used Sankey plots and exponential bar plots for visualizing the fluctuating nature and trajectory of post-COVID pain in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors.METHODS: A cohort of 1266 subjects hospitalised because of COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic were scheduled for a telephone interview at 8.4 (T1), 13.2 (T2), and 18.3 (T3) months in average after hospitalization for collecting data about post-COVID pain. Patients were asked for about pain symptomatology that was attributed to the infection. Hospitalization and clinical data were collected from medical records.RESULTS: The prevalence of myalgia as COVID-19-associated symptom was 29.82% (n = 389) at hospitalization (T0). The prevalence of post-COVID pain was 41.07% (n = 520) at T1, 34.29% (n = 434) at T2, and 28.47% (n = 360) at T3. The recovery exponential curve revealed a decrease trend visualizing that post-COVID pain improved over the time span investigated. Pain in the lower extremity and widespread pain were the most prevalent locations. Female sex (OR 1.507, 95% CI 1.047-2.169), pre-existing pain symptoms (OR 1.724, 95% CI 1.237-2.403), headache as onset-symptom (OR 2.374, 95% CI 1.550-3.639), days at hospital (OR 1.012, 95% CI 1.000-1.025), and presence of post-COVID pain at T1 (OR 13.243, 95% CI 9.428-18.601) were associated with post-COVID pain at T2. Only the presence of post-COVID pain at T1 (OR 5.383, 95% CI 3.896-7.439) was associated with post-COVID pain at T3.CONCLUSION: Current results show a fluctuating evolution with a decreasing tendency of post-COVID pain during the first years after hospitalization. The development of post-COVID pain soon after SARS-CoV-2 infection predispose for long-lasting chronic pain.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Musculoskeletal pain
KW - Post-COVID
KW - Prevalence
KW - Risk factors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85191393579&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/PR9.0000000000001153
DO - 10.1097/PR9.0000000000001153
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38646658
SN - 2471-2531
VL - 9
SP - E1153
JO - Pain Reports
JF - Pain Reports
IS - 3
M1 - e1153
ER -