Self-Reported Long COVID and Its Association with the Presence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in a Danish Cohort up to 12 Months after Infection
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Self-Reported Long COVID and Its Association with the Presence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in a Danish Cohort up to 12 Months after Infection. / Fogh, Kamille; Larsen, Tine Graakjær; Hansen, Cecilie B.; Hasselbalch, Rasmus B.; Eriksen, Alexandra R.R.; Bundgaard, Henning; Frikke-Schmidt, Ruth; Hilsted, Linda M.; Østergaard, Lars; Johansen, Isik S.; Hageman, Ida; Garred, Peter; Iversen, Kasper.
In: Microbiology Spectrum, Vol. 10, No. 6, 2022.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-Reported Long COVID and Its Association with the Presence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in a Danish Cohort up to 12 Months after Infection
AU - Fogh, Kamille
AU - Larsen, Tine Graakjær
AU - Hansen, Cecilie B.
AU - Hasselbalch, Rasmus B.
AU - Eriksen, Alexandra R.R.
AU - Bundgaard, Henning
AU - Frikke-Schmidt, Ruth
AU - Hilsted, Linda M.
AU - Østergaard, Lars
AU - Johansen, Isik S.
AU - Hageman, Ida
AU - Garred, Peter
AU - Iversen, Kasper
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Fogh et al.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The majority of long coronavirus disease (COVID) symptoms are not specific to COVID-19 and could be explained by other conditions. The present study aimed to explore whether Danish individuals with a perception that they suffer from long COVID have antibodies against the nucleocapsid antigen, as a proxy for detecting previous infection. The study was conducted in February and March 2021, right after the second surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark. All members of the social media group on Facebook “Covidramte med senfølger” (“long COVID sufferers'') above the age of 17 years and living in Denmark were invited to participate in a short electronic questionnaire about long COVID risk factors and symptoms. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleocapsid (N) protein was detected in blood samples as a proxy for natural SARS-CoV-2 infection. The final study population comprised 341 participants (90.6% females) who completed blood sampling and answered the questionnaire. A total of 232 (68%) were seropositive (median age, 49.5 years; interquartile range [IQR], 41 to 55 years; 90.1% females). There was no significant difference between sexes and serostatus. Seronegative and seropositive individuals had a similar burden of symptoms that could be attributed to long COVID. Time since perceived COVID-19 was significantly longer in the group of seronegative individuals than the seropositive ones (P < 0.001). This study suggests that long-COVID sufferers are mostly women and showed that a third of the participants did not have detectable anti-N-protein antibodies. It emphasizes the importance of early confirmation of COVID-19, as this study indicates an overlap between long-COVID symptoms and symptoms that are possibly of another origin.
AB - The majority of long coronavirus disease (COVID) symptoms are not specific to COVID-19 and could be explained by other conditions. The present study aimed to explore whether Danish individuals with a perception that they suffer from long COVID have antibodies against the nucleocapsid antigen, as a proxy for detecting previous infection. The study was conducted in February and March 2021, right after the second surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark. All members of the social media group on Facebook “Covidramte med senfølger” (“long COVID sufferers'') above the age of 17 years and living in Denmark were invited to participate in a short electronic questionnaire about long COVID risk factors and symptoms. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleocapsid (N) protein was detected in blood samples as a proxy for natural SARS-CoV-2 infection. The final study population comprised 341 participants (90.6% females) who completed blood sampling and answered the questionnaire. A total of 232 (68%) were seropositive (median age, 49.5 years; interquartile range [IQR], 41 to 55 years; 90.1% females). There was no significant difference between sexes and serostatus. Seronegative and seropositive individuals had a similar burden of symptoms that could be attributed to long COVID. Time since perceived COVID-19 was significantly longer in the group of seronegative individuals than the seropositive ones (P < 0.001). This study suggests that long-COVID sufferers are mostly women and showed that a third of the participants did not have detectable anti-N-protein antibodies. It emphasizes the importance of early confirmation of COVID-19, as this study indicates an overlap between long-COVID symptoms and symptoms that are possibly of another origin.
KW - antibodies
KW - long COVID
KW - N protein
KW - nucleocapsid antigen
KW - PASC
KW - post-acute-phase COVID-19
KW - post-COVID syndrome
KW - prolonged COVID
KW - SARS-CoV-2
KW - SARS-CoV-2 antibodies
U2 - 10.1128/spectrum.02537-22
DO - 10.1128/spectrum.02537-22
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36350150
AN - SCOPUS:85144638385
VL - 10
JO - Microbiology spectrum
JF - Microbiology spectrum
SN - 2165-0497
IS - 6
ER -
ID: 340538805