To explore distinct symptom trajectories and clinical characteristics associated with improvement or worsening in patients with Long COVID.
Key Findings:
Two groups emerged for PGIS: improving (n = 17) and persistent/severe (n = 136).
For PGIC, groups included improving (n = 130) and worsening (n = 22).
PROMIS-Physical Function modeling identified four groups: improving, normal/mild, moderate, and severe.
Fatigue core symptom modeling revealed three groups: improving, moderate, and severe.
Worsening groups had higher proportions of NMV/r-treated participants and greater prevalence of cardiovascular symptoms.
Interpretation:
Distinct patient-reported outcome trajectories reflect the clinical heterogeneity of Long COVID, with no subgroup showing a clear benefit from NMV/r treatment, highlighting the need for further research.
Limitations:
No validated Long COVID-specific PRO instruments were used.
The study was limited to a single-center trial with a small sample size, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.
Conclusion:
The findings highlight the need for validated, Long COVID-specific PRO instruments and targeted therapeutic trials tailored to Long COVID subtypes, addressing the limitations identified.
