Characterization of Autonomic Symptom Burden in Long COVID: A Global Survey of 2,314 Adults
Abstract
Background
Autonomic dysfunction is a common complication of post-acute sequalae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC)/long COVID, however prevalence and severity rates are unknown.
Objective
The primary goal of this study was to assess the frequency and severity of autonomic symptoms in PASC. We also aimed to assess symptom burden in PASC though well-validated questionnaires, evaluate which pre-existing conditions are associated with an increased risk of developing autonomic dysfunction, and determine whether the severity of acute COVID-19 illness is associated with the severity of autonomic dysfunction in this population.
Methods
We conducted an online survey of 2,314 adults with PASC using several validated questionnaires including the COMPASS-31 to evaluate for autonomic dysfunction. We included both participants who had tested positive for COVID-19 (test-confirmed) and participants who were diagnosed with COVID-19 based on clinical symptoms alone (test-unconfirmed). Additional analyses were performed on test-confirmed participants, comparing hospitalized to non-hospitalized participants.
Results
67% of PASC patients had a COMPASS-31 score >20, suggestive of moderate to severe autonomic dysfunction. COMPASS-31 scores did not differ between test-confirmed hospitalized and non-hospitalized participants (28.95±30.98 vs 26.4±28.35, p=0.06). Both hospitalized and non-hospitalized participants reported significant functional disability across all quality-of-life domains.
Conclusions
Moderate to severe autonomic dysfunction was seen in all PASC groups in our study, independent of hospitalization status, suggesting that autonomic dysfunction is highly prevalent in the PASC population and not necessarily dependent on the severity of acute COVID illness.
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