A cross-sectional and population-based study from primary care on post-COVID-19 conditions in non-hospitalized patients

Background: Current research on post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC) has focused on hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and often lacks a comparison group. This study assessed the prevalence of PCC in non-hospitalized COVID-19 primary care patients compared to primary care patients not diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods: This cross-sectional, population-based study (n = 2539) analyzed and compared the prevalence of PCC in patients with a positive COVID-19 test (n = 1410) and patients with a negative COVID-19 test (n = 1129) never hospitalized for COVID-19 related conditions. Participants were identified using electronic health records and completed an electronic questionnaire, available in English and Spanish, including 54 potential post COVID-19 symptoms. Logistic regression was conducted to assess the association of PCC with COVID-19. Results: Post-COVID-19 conditions are prevalent in both groups, and significantly more prevalent in patients with COVID-19. Strong significant differences exist for the twenty most reported conditions, except for anxiety. Common conditions are fatigue (59.5% (COVID-19 positive) vs. 41.3% (COVID-19 negative); OR 2.15 [1.79–2.60]), difficulty sleeping (52.1% (positive) vs. 41.9% (negative); OR 1.42 [1.18–1.71]) and concentration problems (50.6% (positive) vs 28.5% (negative); OR 2.64 [2.17–3.22]). Similar disparities in prevalence are also observed after comparing two groups (positive vs. negative) by age, sex, time since testing, and race/ethnicity. Conclusions: PCC is highly prevalent in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients in primary care. However, it is important to note that PCC strongly overlaps with common health symptoms seen in primary care, including fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and headaches, which makes the diagnosis of PCC in primary care even more challenging.