Table 2 Summary of post-COVID-19 symptoms at 1-, 3- and 6-month follow-up

Month 1

 n

328

87

86

155

 Mean (SD)

3.1 (3.6)

2.0 (2.3)

3.1 (3.5)

3.7 (4.1)

**

 ≥ 3 symptoms

130 (39.6%)

26 (29.9%)

36 (41.9%)

68 (43.9%)

General symptoms

 ≥ 1 symptom

154 (47.0%)

35 (40.2%)

44 (51.2%)

75 (48.4%)

 Tiredness or fatigue

135 (41.2%)

28 (32.2%)

42 (48.8%)

65 (41.9%)

 Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities

50 (15.2%)

8 (9.2%)

10 (11.6%)

32 (20.6%)

*

Fever

1 (0.3%)

0 (0.0%)

0 (0.0%)

1 (0.7%)

 General pain/discomfort

50 (15.2%)

5 (5.8%)

15 (17.4%)

30 (19.4%)

*

Respiratory and cardiac

 ≥ 1 symptom

142 (43.3%)

34 (39.1%)

34 (39.5%)

74 (47.7%)

 Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

58 (17.7%)

13 (14.9%)

13 (15.1%)

32 (20.6%)

 Cough

86 (26.2%)

21 (24.1%)

19 (22.1%)

46 (29.7%)

 Chest or stomach pain

32 (9.8%)

4 (4.6%)

10 (11.6%)

18 (11.6%)

 Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)

38 (11.6%)

6 (6.9%)

11 (12.8%)

21 (13.5%)

Neurologic

 ≥ 1 symptom

161 (49.1%)

38 (43.7%)

45 (52.3%)

78 (50.3%)

 Change in smell or taste

51 (15.5%)

5 (5.8%)

14 (16.3%)

32 (20.6%)

**

 Headache

67 (20.4%)

10 (11.5%)

18 (20.9%)

39 (25.2%)

*

 Dizziness on standing (lightheadedness)

45 (13.7%)

7 (8.1%)

13 (15.1%)

25 (16.1%)

 Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)

86 (26.2%)

17 (19.5%)

26 (30.2%)

43 (27.7%)

 Pins-and-needles feeling

24 (7.3%)

3 (3.5%)

7 (8.1%)

14 (9.0%)

 Sleep problems

81 (24.7%)

14 (16.1%)

21 (24.4%)

46 (29.7%)

 Mood changes

36 (11.0%)

6 (6.9%)

7 (8.1%)

23 (14.8%)

 Memory loss

38 (11.6%)

4 (4.6%)

7 (8.1%)

27 (17.4%)

**

Other

 ≥ 1 symptom

106 (32.3%)

19 (21.8%)

28 (32.6%)

59 (38.1%)

*

 Diarrhea

23 (7.0%)

3 (3.5%)

3 (3.5%)

17 (11.0%)

*

 Joint or muscle pain

66 (20.1%)

10 (11.5%)

18 (20.9%)

38 (24.5%)

 Rash

11 (3.4%)

2 (2.3%)

1 (1.2%)

8 (5.2%)

 Changes in period cycles

28 (11.6%)

4 (6.9%)

8 (11.8%)

16 (13.8%)

Month 3

 n

292

73

77

142

 Mean (SD)

2.7 (3.5)

1.4 (1.9)

2.8 (3.5)

3.3 (4.0)

**

 ≥ 3 symptoms

109 (37.3%)

17 (23.3%)

32 (41.6%)

60 (42.3%)

*

General symptoms

 ≥ 1 symptom

121 (41.4%)

24 (32.9%)

32 (41.6%)

65 (45.8%)

 Tiredness or fatigue

108 (37.0%)

21 (28.8%)

31 (40.3%)

56 (39.4%)

 Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities

36 (12.3%)

5 (6.9%)

11 (14.3%)

20 (14.1%)

 Fever

1 (0.3%)

0 (0.0%)

0 (0.0%)

1 (0.7%)

 General pain/discomfort

43 (14.7%)

3 (4.1%)

12 (15.6%)

28 (19.7%)

**

Respiratory and cardiac

 ≥ 1 symptom

83 (28.4%)

15 (20.5%)

23 (29.9%)

45 (31.7%)

 Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

42 (14.4%)

5 (6.9%)

15 (19.5%)

22 (15.5%)

 Cough

38 (13.0%)

8 (11.0%)

9 (11.7%)

21 (14.8%)

 Chest or stomach pain

17 (5.8%)

2 (2.7%)

5 (6.5%)

10 (7.0%)

 Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)

29 (9.9%)

3 (4.1%)

9 (11.7%)

17 (12.0%)

Neurologic

 ≥ 1 symptom

140 (47.9%)

26 (35.6%)

39 (50.6%)

75 (52.8%)

*

 Change in smell or taste

35 (12.0%)

5 (6.9%)

9 (11.7%)

21 (14.8%)

 Headache

51 (17.5%)

6 (8.2%)

14 (18.2%)

31 (21.8%)

*

 Dizziness on standing (lightheadedness)

43 (14.7%)

3 (4.1%)

14 (18.2%)

26 (18.3%)

**

 Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)

70 (24.0%)

11 (15.1%)

15 (19.5%)

44 (31.0%)

*

 Pins-and-needles feeling

28 (9.6%)

4 (5.5%)

9 (11.7%)

15 (10.6%)

 Sleep problems

63 (21.6%)

8 (11.0%)

17 (22.1%)

38 (26.8%)

*

 Mood changes

31 (10.6%)

2 (2.7%)

6 (7.8%)

23 (16.2%)

**

 Memory loss

35 (12.0%)

0 (0.0%)

9 (11.7%)

26 (18.3%)

***

Other

 ≥ 1 symptom

88 (30.1%)

16 (21.9%)

25 (32.5%)

47 (33.1%)

 Diarrhea

18 (6.2%)

2 (2.7%)

5 (6.5%)

11 (7.8%)

 Joint or muscle pain

53 (18.2%)

7 (9.6%)

15 (19.5%)

31 (21.8%)

 Rash

9 (3.1%)

4 (5.5%)

0 (0.0%)

5 (3.5%)

 Changes in period cycles

36 (16.7%)

5 (10.4%)

13 (22.0%)

18 (16.7%)

Month 6

 n

260

67

72

121

 Mean (SD)

2.7 (3.7)

1.1 (1.8)

2.8 (3.6)

3.4 (4.2)

***

 ≥ 3 symptoms

91 (35.0%)

10 (14.9%)

27 (37.5%)

54 (44.6%)

***

General symptoms

 ≥ 1 symptom

112 (43.1%)

16 (23.9%)

34 (47.2%)

62 (51.2%)

**

 Tiredness or fatigue

101 (38.8%)

15 (22.4%)

32 (44.4%)

54 (44.6%)

**

 Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities

28 (10.8%)

1 (1.5%)

8 (11.1%)

19 (15.7%)

**

 Fever

3 (1.2%)

0 (0.0%)

1 (1.4%)

2 (1.7%)

 General pain/discomfort

36 (13.8%)

2 (3.0%)

10 (13.9%)

24 (19.8%)

**

Respiratory and cardiac

 ≥ 1 symptom

68 (26.2%)

4 (6.0%)

18 (25.0%)

46 (38.0%)

***

 Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

32 (12.3%)

3 (4.5%)

7 (9.7%)

22 (18.2%)

*

 Cough

32 (12.3%)

0 (0.0%)

9 (12.5%)

23 (19.0%)

***

 Chest or stomach pain

17 (6.5%)

1 (1.5%)

4 (5.6%)

12 (9.9%)

 Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)

29 (11.2%)

3 (4.5%)

7 (9.7%)

19 (15.7%)

Neurologic

 ≥ 1 symptom

121 (46.5%)

21 (31.3%)

34 (47.2%)

66 (54.5%)

**

 Change in smell or taste

27 (10.4%)

4 (6.0%)

8 (11.1%)

15 (12.4%)

 Headache

50 (19.2%)

5 (7.5%)

16 (22.2%)

29 (24.0%)

*

 Dizziness on standing (lightheadedness)

38 (14.6%)

7 (10.4%)

7 (9.7%)

24 (19.8%)

 Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)

58 (22.3%)

5 (7.5%)

19 (26.4%)

34 (28.1%)

**

 Pins-and-needles feeling

27 (10.4%)

3 (4.5%)

8 (11.1%)

16 (13.2%)

 Sleep problems

52 (20.0%)

3 (4.5%)

16 (22.2%)

33 (27.3%)

***

 Mood changes

32 (12.3%)

3 (4.5%)

9 (12.5%)

20 (16.5%)

*

 Memory loss

37 (14.2%)

2 (3.0%)

12 (16.7%)

23 (19.0%)

**

Other

 ≥ 1 symptom

76 (29.2%)

14 (20.9%)

23 (31.9%)

39 (32.2%)

 Diarrhea

14 (5.4%)

1 (1.5%)

3 (4.2%)

10 (8.3%)

 Joint or muscle pain

38 (14.6%)

6 (9.0%)

12 (16.7%)

20 (16.5%)

 Rash

5 (1.9%)

1 (1.5%)

0 (0.0%)

4 (3.3%)

 Changes in period cycles

32 (16.8%)

8 (18.6%)

11 (20.0%)

13 (14.0%)