Background: In COVID-19 survivors a relatively high number of long-term symptoms have been observed. Besides impact on quality of life, these symptoms (now called Post-COVID-Syndrome) may have an impact on functioning and may also hinder to participation in social life in affected people. However, little is known about developing such syndrome a for patients with mild and moderate COVID-19 who did not need hospitalization or intensive care. Methods: A cross-sectional study in 1027 patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 was performed in two communities in Bavaria, Germany. The Rehabilitation-Needs-Survey (RehabNeS) including the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) on health-related quality of life, was used. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: In all, 97.5% of patients reported one symptom in the infection stage, such as fatigue, respiratory problems, limitations of the senses of taste and smell, fear and anxiety and other symptoms. In this time period, 84.1% of the participants experienced activity limitations and participation restrictions such as carrying out daily routines, handling stress, getting household tasks done, caring for/supporting others, and relaxing and leisure concerns. In all, 61.9% of participants reported persisting symptoms more than 3 months after infection. These were fatigue, sleep disturbances, respiratory problems, pain, fear and anxiety, and restrictions in movement; 49% of the participants reported activity limitations and participation restrictions. Predominately, these were handling stress, carrying out daily routines, looking after one’s health, relaxing and leisure activities and doing house work. The impacts on quality of life and vocational performance were rather low. Conclusion: The results show that long-term symptoms after mild and moderate COVID-19 are common and lead to limitations of activities and participation. However, it seems that in most cases they are not severe and do not lead to frequent or serious issues with quality of life or work ability.

Purpose: Following SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, patients may suffer from long-lasting symptoms regardless of disease severity. Preliminary results show limitations in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study is to show a possible change depending on the duration since infection and the accumulation of symptoms. Additionally, other possible influencing factors will be analyzed. Methods: The study population consisted of patients (18–65 years) presenting to the Post-COVID outpatient clinic of the University Hospital Jena, Germany, between March and October 2021. The HRQoL was assessed by the use of the RehabNeQ and the SF-36. Data analysis was descriptive with frequencies, means, and/or percentages. In addition, a univariate analysis of variance was performed to show the dependence of physical and psychological HRQoL on specific factors. This was finally tested for significance at an alpha level of 5%. Results: Data from 318 patients were analyzed, most of whom had 3–6 months of infection (56%) and 5–10 symptoms persisted (60.4%). Both mental (MCS) and physical sum score (PCS) of HRQoL were significantly lower than those of the German normal population (p < .001). The number of remaining symptoms (MCS p = .0034, PCS p = .000) as well as the perceived ability to work (MCS p = .007, PCS p = .000) influenced the HRQoL. Conclusion: The HRQoL of patients with Post-COVID-syndrome is still reduced months after infection and so is their occupational performance. In particular, the number of symptoms could have an influence on this deficit, which would need to be further investigated. Further research is needed to detect other factors influencing HRQoL and to implement appropriate therapeutic interventions.

Purpose: Some patients experience long-term sequelae after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, despite a present post-COVID condition, defined as “any symptom lasting longer than 12 weeks,” only a subset of patients search for medical help and therapy. Method: We invited all adults with a positive real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 between March 2020 and September 2021 (n = 4091) in the city of Jena to answer a standardized questionnaire including demographic information, the course of the acute infection and current health status. K-means-clustering of quality of life (QoL) was used to explore post-COVID subgroups. Results: A total of 909 participants at a median interval of 367 (IQR 291/403) days after acute infection were included in the analysis. Of those, 643 (70.7%) complained of having experienced persistent symptoms at the time of the survey. Cluster analysis based on QoL revealed two subgroups of people with persistent post-COVID symptoms. Whereas 189/643 participants (29.4%) showed markedly diminished QoL, normal QoL was detected in 454/643 individuals (70.6%). Conclusion: Despite persistent symptoms being reported by nearly three quarters of participants, only one-third of these described a significant reduction in QoL (cluster 1), whereas the other two-thirds reported a near-normal QoL (cluster 2), thus indicating a differentiation between “post-COVID disease” and “post-COVID condition”. The prevalence of clinically relevant post-COVID disease was at least 20.7%. Health policies should focus on this subset.

A significant proportion of patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection suffer from long-lasting symptoms. Although many different symptoms are described, the majority of patients complains about neuropsychological symptoms. Additionally, a subgroup of patients fulfills diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS. We analyzed a registry of all patients presenting in the out-patients clinic at a German university center. For patients with more than one visit, changes in reported symptoms from first to second visit were analyzed. A total of 1022 patients were included in the study, 411 of them had more than one visit. 95.5% of the patients reported a polysymptomatic disease. At the first visit 31.3% of the patients fulfilled ME/CFS criteria after a median time of 255 days post infection and and at the second visit after a median of 402 days, 19.4% still suffered from ME/CFS. Self-reported fatigue (83.7–72.7%) and concentration impairment (66.2–57.9%) decreased from first to second visit contrasting non-significant changes in the structured screening. A significant proportion of SARS-CoV-2 survivors presenting with ongoing symptoms present with ME/CFS. Although the proportion of subjective reported symptoms and their severity reduce over time, a significant proportion of patients suffer from long-lasting symptoms necessitating new therapeutic concepts.

Study design: Cross-sectional explorative observational study. Objectives: To identify factors which have an association to the self-perceived Quality of Life (QoL) for persons with acquired spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: Eight specialized SCI-centers in Germany. The GerSCI survey is the German part of the International Spinal Cord Injury Survey (InSCI). Methods: Self-disclosure questionnaire, created from the InSCI group, translated and adapted for Germany. The questionnaire collects a very broad range of data and, and due to its design as a self-report, is particularly suitable for the analysis on QoL. Because of the content, which is binding for all participating states, it allows a direct comparability of the results. Included in Germany were 1479 persons with acquired SCI aged 18 years and older. Results: Various factors were identified with high associations to QoL, including changeable and unchangeable ones, such as those of particular importance: pain, sleep problems, sexual dysfunction, age, and time since onset of SCI. Some results confirmed reports of previous studies, others were surprising. Conclusion: this study provides an important basis for the planned analysis of the InSCI participating countries in the 6 WHO regions. Germany was able to contribute the largest study population. The concrete study design of InSCI allows us to directly compare data and helps us to improve ourselves within the framework of a “learning health system”. Medical measures can be orientated towards the found results, in order to ensure the best possible care and support by the therapeutic team, individually adapted to the person, place of residence and impairment.

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund Das Beschwerdebild der Folgeerscheinungen, die nach einer COVID-19-Erkrankung auch nach Monaten existieren können, wird immer deutlicher: das Post-COVID-Syndrom. Neben verschiedenen Symptomen können auch funktionellen Zusammenhänge bestehen, die die Arbeitsfähigkeit einschränken. Derzeitige Untersuchungen gehen von 10% der Infizierten aus, die dies betrifft. In Deutschland würde dies nach aktuellen Zahlen 380 000 Menschen betreffen. Das Ziel dieser Analyse war es zu zeigen, wie sich die reale und gefühlte Arbeitsfähigkeit bei Patient*innen mit Post-COVID Syndrom darstellt. Methode Der Rehabilitation Needs Questionnaire wird routinemäßig bei Patient*innen mit Post-COVID-Symptomatik bei Vorstellungen in der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover bzw. dem Universitätsklinikum Jena ausgefüllt. Es erfolgte eine deskriptive Analyse der Fragebögen ab April 2021 unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Arbeitsfähigkeit. Ausgeschlossen wurden Patient*innen, die nicht im arbeitsfähigen Alter waren, oder bereits vor der COVID-19-Infektion arbeitsunfähig. Ergebnisse 75 von 81 Fragebögen wurden im entsprechenden Zeitraum von einer Stichprobe im arbeitsfähigen Alter in die Auswertung mit einbezogen (68% von Frauen, 32% von Männern). Das Durchschnittsalter lag bei 42,5 Jahren, die Zeit seit der Infektion im Mittel bei 3 Monaten. 44 der 75 Personen (58,7%) waren zum Zeitpunkt der Befragung arbeitsfähig. Die empfundene Arbeitsfähigkeit wurde im Schnitt mit 5,1 von 10 möglichen Punkten angegeben. Frauen zeigten hier durchschnittlich 6,2 Punkte und Männer 4,7 Punkte. 59,1% (n=26) der Befragten gaben Schwierigkeiten beim Erhalt von notwendigen Therapien an. 31 (41,3%) Personen waren zum Zeitpunkt der Befragung aufgrund der POST-COVID-19-Erkrankung arbeitsunfähig. Das mittlere Alter der Gruppe lag bei 46,6 Jahren. 16 (51,6%) der 31 Proband*innen gaben an ununterbrochen seit der Infektion arbeitsunfähig zu sein. Schwierigkeiten beim Erhalt von notwendigen Therapien hatten in dieser Gruppe 64,5% (n=20). Diskussion Die Rate derer, die nach einer COVID-19-Erkrankung auch nach Monaten noch arbeitsunfähig sind, ist hoch. Notwendige therapeutische Maßnahmen stehen entweder in nicht genügender Anzahl zur Verfügung oder werden trotz entsprechender Indikation nicht ausreichend verordnet. Weitere Untersuchungen sind notwendig, um die Wirksamkeit von Therapien zu belegen und welche Barrieren zur Rückkehr an den Arbeitsplatz bestehen. Die Auswirkungen können bei weiter steigenden Fallzahlen noch über Jahre hinweg Einfluss auf die Wirtschaftskraft des Landes haben.