Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40062652›Full record

ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2025

The Association of Long COVID-19 Symptoms, Physical Function, and Activities of Daily Living Among Older Women.

Xiaochen Zhang, Chloe Hery, Eric M McLaughlin, Nancy F Woods, Marian L Neuhouser, Holly Harris, Emily W Gower, Jean Wactawski-Wende, Aladdin H Shadyab, Robert B Wallace and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Xiaochen ZhangDepartment of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3086-1285
Chloe HeryDepartment of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Eric M McLaughlinCenter for Biostatistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Nancy F WoodsBiobehavioral Nursing and Clinical Informatics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Marian L NeuhouserPublic Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Holly HarrisPublic Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Emily W GowerSchool of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Jean Wactawski-WendeSchool of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA.
Aladdin H ShadyabHerbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Robert B WallaceCollege of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa, Iowa, USA.
Electra D PaskettDepartment of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Funding

Pulmonary Toxicology Facility CoreP30ES005605 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI Jong Sung Kim · 1990 to 2026
$40.5M
Lifestyle modification and cancer risk across the cancer control continuumK00CA253745 · NCI · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI ZHANG, XIAOCHEN · 2022 to 2025
$387k
NCI NIH HHS K00 CA253745NCI NIH HHS K00CA253745NHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201600001CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201600002CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201600004CNHLBI NIH HHS HHSN268201600018CNIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES005605NIH HHSU.S. Department of Health and Human Services
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe impact of COVID-19 on physical function (PF) outcomes among older adults remains unclear. We examined the long-term association between COVID, PF, and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) among women from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

methodsParticipants from the WHI who completed the COVID-19 survey (2021-2022) and annual survey (2022) were included. Self-reported data on COVID-19 testing and symptoms (2021-2022) were used. PF score and ADLs were evaluated pre- and post-COVID-19 survey by the 36-Item Short Form Survey PF subscale, the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, and the Katz Index of Independence in ADL. Multivariable linear regression and logistic regression were used and adjusted for pre-COVID functioning to examine the association between COVID status, PF, and ADLs. The interaction between pre-COVID functioning and COVID status was tested.

resultsAmong the 13,933 WHI participants, 71.4% were aged ≥ 80 years, and 88.6% were Non-Hispanic White. Only 8.7% tested positive for COVID-19 (n = 1210), with 35.1% having long COVID (n = 425). The most common long COVID symptoms were fatigue (18.2%), malaise (12.2%), memory problems (12.1%), and brain fog (11.2%). Women who tested COVID+ had lower PF scores (60 vs. 65, p = 0.045) and were less likely to be able to do all ADLs without help (74% vs. 79.2%, p = 0.015) compared to those who never tested COVID+. After controlling for covariates, post-COVID PF scores did not differ by COVID status (p = 0.30), although pre-COVID PF scores were significantly linked to post-COVID scores (p < 0.001). Similarly, the odds of being able to do all ADLs without any help did not differ by COVID status (p = 0.31), with pre-COVID ADLs significantly associated with post-COVID ADLs (p < 0.001).

conclusionsIn older women, after accounting for pre-COVID functional status, the association between long COVID and lower functioning became nonsignificant. Our findings highlight the importance of preserving physical functioning among older women.

Indexed as

Activities of Daily LivingCOVID-19Physical Functional PerformanceAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeSARS-CoV-2United StatesWomen's Healthfunctioninglong COVIDolder womensymptom cluster

Identifiers

PMID40062652
PMCPMC12205297

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.