Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40964918›Full record

ArticleEpidemiology and infection2025

Factors associated with persistence or recovery from long COVID 6 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Mulu Woldegiorgis, Lauren Bloomfield, Rosemary Korda, Gemma Cadby, Sera Ngeh, Paul Knight, Andrew Jardine, Jelena Maticevic, Paul Armstrong, Paul Effler

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Epidemiology and infection, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

10 authors.

Mulu WoldegiorgisNational Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, https://ror.org/019wvm592Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6489-980X
Lauren BloomfieldCommunicable Disease Control Directorate, Western Australia Department of Health, Perth, WA, Australia.
Rosemary KordaNational Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, https://ror.org/019wvm592Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
Gemma CadbyCommunicable Disease Control Directorate, Western Australia Department of Health, Perth, WA, Australia.
Sera NgehCommunicable Disease Control Directorate, Western Australia Department of Health, Perth, WA, Australia.
Paul KnightCommunicable Disease Control Directorate, Western Australia Department of Health, Perth, WA, Australia.
Andrew JardineEnvironmental Health Directorate, Western Australia Department of Health, Perth, WA, Australia.
Jelena MaticevicCommunicable Disease Control Directorate, Western Australia Department of Health, Perth, WA, Australia.
Paul ArmstrongCommunicable Disease Control Directorate, Western Australia Department of Health, Perth, WA, Australia.
Paul EfflerCommunicable Disease Control Directorate, Western Australia Department of Health, Perth, WA, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There are limited data on the illness trajectory for individuals with long COVID. We prospectively followed 1,234 individuals with long COVID at 3 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection to identify factors associated with persistence or recovery. At 6 months post-infection, 724 (58.7%) had persistent long COVID and 510 (41.3%) had fully recovered. In multivariable analyses, pre-existing health conditions at the time of initial SARS-CoV-2 infection and reporting fatigue, shortness of breath, and cough 3 months post-infection were independent predictors of persistent long COVID. Age, sex, and number of COVID vaccinations were not significantly associated with persistent long COVID. For persons with persistent long COVID, the median number of symptoms remained stable over follow-up, indicating that there had been little symptomatic improvement. A third of those with persistent long COVID reported seeking medical care for their symptoms and a third had ceased or reduced their hours of work/study. Our findings suggest that there may be distinct clinical trajectories for long COVID observed between 3- and 6-month follow-up, that is, persons who experience full recovery and those with minimal clinical improvement, and this may have implications for management of affected individuals.

Indexed as

COVID-19AdultAgedFatigueFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeProspective StudiesRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2Time FactorsAustraliafollow-up studyhealth service uselong COVIDlong COVID symptomspersistent long COVIDreturn to work or study

Identifiers

PMID40964918
PMCPMC12529437

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.