RecruitingACTRN12622000718741

The SA Long COVID Study

The SA Long COVID study: A clinical registry defining the care needs for patients with Post-COVID-19 conditions in South Australia

Sponsor

Central Local Adelaide Health Network

Enrollment

300 participants

Start Date

Jun 1, 2022

Study Type

Observational

Conditions

Post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) (Long COVID)COVID-19

Summary

This study is looking at how COVID-19 has affected people including their fitness, health and quality of life after their initial infection. Where effects persist for 12 weeks after infection, this is known as Long COVID. Even people who had relatively mild COVID-19 at the time can experience long COVID symptoms. Doctors are in the early stages of understanding this condition and there are a variety of different symptoms affecting many parts of the body. Symptoms can include fatigue, breathlessness, a cough that won’t go away, joint pain, muscle aches, hearing and eyesight problems, headaches, loss of smell and taste as well as problems affecting the heart, lungs, kidneys and gut. Mental health problems have also been reported including depression, anxiety and struggling to think clearly or ‘brain fog’. Clinicians will use questionnaires developed across the world for this purpose, to help gather this information and observe the treatments used. Information obtained from this study will help clinicians understand how best to identify and manage Long COVID.

Eligibility

Sex: Both males and femalesMin Age: 18 Yearss

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

Long COVID refers to a wide range of symptoms that continue or develop after the initial COVID-19 infection and persist for 12 weeks or more. Even people who had only a mild COVID illness can be affected. Symptoms vary enormously from person to person and can include persistent fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog, joint and muscle pain, heart palpitations, problems with smell and taste, and mental health difficulties such as depression and anxiety. This observational study in South Australia aims to better understand the clinical picture of Long COVID — what symptoms people experience, how their fitness and quality of life are affected, and what treatments are being used. By using standardised questionnaires developed across the world, researchers hope to gather consistent, useful data that will help clinicians identify and manage Long COVID more effectively. You may be eligible if you are 18 years or older, had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, and are at least 3 months from the onset of your illness with symptoms that have persisted for 2 months with no other explanation. People who are unable or unwilling to attend study visits or provide consent are not eligible.

This is a simplified summary. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

Observational study of patients with Long COVID determining their health needs within a public hospital outpatient service. The information collected includes basic demographics, date of COVID infection, vaccination status, symptoms persisting after 12 weeks from the initial infection, medical history, social history, family history of relevant medical conditions, vitals, height and weight. Screening questionnaires, namely the C19-YRS=COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale; PCFS= Post-COVID Functional Scale; PSQI=Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, will be provided to participants to complete at the first clinic visit and then at weeks 13, 26, 52, 78, 104 and 156. The questionnaires will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. These can be mailed out or electronic copies provided where requested. All participants will be followed for 3 years from entry into the study. Their electronic hospital medical records will be accessed to obtain information such as specialist services utilised, investigations performed and their results, community services required and outcomes such as recovery - complete or otherwise.