Patient symptoms and experience following COVID-19: results from a UK-wide survey
Objectives To investigate the experience of people who continue to be unwell after acute COVID-19, often referred to as ‘long COVID’, both in terms of their symptoms and their interactions with healthcare.Design We conducted a mixed-methods analysis of responses to a survey accessed through a UK onl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2021-01-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open Respiratory Research |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001075.full |
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| author | Michael I Polkey Andrew Cumella Nicholas S Hopkinson Keir E J Philip Sara Buttery Samantha Walker Parris Williams Andrea Fallas Brigitte West Cheryl Cheung |
| author_facet | Michael I Polkey Andrew Cumella Nicholas S Hopkinson Keir E J Philip Sara Buttery Samantha Walker Parris Williams Andrea Fallas Brigitte West Cheryl Cheung |
| author_sort | Michael I Polkey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives To investigate the experience of people who continue to be unwell after acute COVID-19, often referred to as ‘long COVID’, both in terms of their symptoms and their interactions with healthcare.Design We conducted a mixed-methods analysis of responses to a survey accessed through a UK online post-COVID-19 support and information hub, between April and December 2020, about people’s experiences after having acute COVID-19.Participants 3290 respondents, 78% female, 92.1% white ethnicity and median age range 45–54 years; 12.7% had been hospitalised. 494(16.5%) completed the survey between 4 and 8 weeks of the onset of their symptoms, 641(21.4%) between 8 and 12 weeks and 1865 (62.1%) >12 weeks after.Results The ongoing symptoms most frequently reported were: breathing problems (92.1%), fatigue (83.3%), muscle weakness or joint stiffness (50.6%), sleep disturbances (46.2%), problems with mental abilities (45.9%), changes in mood, including anxiety and depression (43.1%) and cough (42.3%). Symptoms did not appear to be related to the severity of the acute illness or to the presence of pre-existing medical conditions. Analysis of free-text responses revealed three main themes: (1) experience of living with COVID-19: physical and psychological symptoms that fluctuate unpredictably; (2) interactions with healthcare that were unsatisfactory; (3) implications for the future: their own condition, society and the healthcare system, and the need for researchConclusion Consideration of patient perspectives and experiences will assist in the planning of services to address problems persisting in people who remain symptomatic after the acute phase of COVID-19. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-763243d134f5487699c6ed9fcd8995cb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2052-4439 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open Respiratory Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-763243d134f5487699c6ed9fcd8995cb2024-11-24T08:45:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Respiratory Research2052-44392021-01-018110.1136/bmjresp-2021-001075Patient symptoms and experience following COVID-19: results from a UK-wide surveyMichael I Polkey0Andrew Cumella1Nicholas S Hopkinson2Keir E J Philip3Sara Buttery4Samantha Walker5Parris Williams6Andrea Fallas7Brigitte West8Cheryl Cheung9Respiratory Medicine, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UKAsthma and Lung UK, London, UKNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UKNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UKNational Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UKAsthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, London, UK1 National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UKAsthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, London, UKAsthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, London, UKAsthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, London, UKObjectives To investigate the experience of people who continue to be unwell after acute COVID-19, often referred to as ‘long COVID’, both in terms of their symptoms and their interactions with healthcare.Design We conducted a mixed-methods analysis of responses to a survey accessed through a UK online post-COVID-19 support and information hub, between April and December 2020, about people’s experiences after having acute COVID-19.Participants 3290 respondents, 78% female, 92.1% white ethnicity and median age range 45–54 years; 12.7% had been hospitalised. 494(16.5%) completed the survey between 4 and 8 weeks of the onset of their symptoms, 641(21.4%) between 8 and 12 weeks and 1865 (62.1%) >12 weeks after.Results The ongoing symptoms most frequently reported were: breathing problems (92.1%), fatigue (83.3%), muscle weakness or joint stiffness (50.6%), sleep disturbances (46.2%), problems with mental abilities (45.9%), changes in mood, including anxiety and depression (43.1%) and cough (42.3%). Symptoms did not appear to be related to the severity of the acute illness or to the presence of pre-existing medical conditions. Analysis of free-text responses revealed three main themes: (1) experience of living with COVID-19: physical and psychological symptoms that fluctuate unpredictably; (2) interactions with healthcare that were unsatisfactory; (3) implications for the future: their own condition, society and the healthcare system, and the need for researchConclusion Consideration of patient perspectives and experiences will assist in the planning of services to address problems persisting in people who remain symptomatic after the acute phase of COVID-19.https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001075.full |
| spellingShingle | Michael I Polkey Andrew Cumella Nicholas S Hopkinson Keir E J Philip Sara Buttery Samantha Walker Parris Williams Andrea Fallas Brigitte West Cheryl Cheung Patient symptoms and experience following COVID-19: results from a UK-wide survey BMJ Open Respiratory Research |
| title | Patient symptoms and experience following COVID-19: results from a UK-wide survey |
| title_full | Patient symptoms and experience following COVID-19: results from a UK-wide survey |
| title_fullStr | Patient symptoms and experience following COVID-19: results from a UK-wide survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Patient symptoms and experience following COVID-19: results from a UK-wide survey |
| title_short | Patient symptoms and experience following COVID-19: results from a UK-wide survey |
| title_sort | patient symptoms and experience following covid 19 results from a uk wide survey |
| url | https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001075.full |
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