Risk factors for worsening of somatic symptom burden in a prospective cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Petra Engelmann¹  Bernd Löwe¹  Thomas Theo Brehm²  Angelika Weigel¹  Felix Ullrich²  Marylyn M. Addo²  Julian Schulze zur Wiesch²  Ansgar W. Lohse²  Anne Toussaint¹ 

[1] Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf;Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf;German Center for Infection Research

关键词: COVID-19;    Long Covid;    Risk factors;    Somatic symptom burden;    Persistent somatic symptoms;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1022203

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Introduction: Little is known about risk factors for both Long COVID and somatic symptoms that develop in individuals without a history of COVID-19 in response to the pandemic. There is reason to assume an interplay between pathophysiological mechanisms and psychosocial factors in the aetiology of symptom persistence. Objective: Therefore, this study investigates specific risk factors for somatic symptom deterioration in a cohort of German adults with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: German healthcare professionals underwent SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody testing and completed self-rating questionnaires at baseline and 21 months later between April 2020 and February 2022. Differences in variables between the time points were analyzed and a regression analysis was performed to predict somatic symptom deterioration at follow-up. Results: 751 adults completed both assessments. Until follow-up, n = 58 had contracted SARS-CoV-2 confirmed by serology. Between baseline and follow-up, signs of mental and physical strain increased significantly in the sample. Symptom expectations associated with COVID-19 and a self-reported history of COVID-19, but not serologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, significantly predicted somatic symptom deterioration at follow-up. A further predictor was baseline psychological symptom burden. Conclusions: This study supports a disease-overarching biopsychosocial model for the development of burdensome somatic symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and supports research findings that symptom burden may be more related to the psychosocial effects of the pandemic than to infection itself. Future studies on Long COVID should include SARS-CoV-2 negative control groups and consider symptom burden prior to infection in order to avoid an overestimation of prevalence rates.

【 授权许可】

CC BY