Long-term symptoms after COVID-19 infection
To determine the long-term effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection and time to resolution of symptoms in asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients, we prospectively collected symptom data from a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients (35 asthmatic and 76 non-asthmatic) over recurring visits. The majority of patients (91%) reported initial symptoms from COVID-19 infection (Figures 6A and 6B); less than 10% were asymptomatic [3 (8.6%) asthmatic and 7 (9.2%) non-asthmatic patients]. The percentage of patients reporting symptoms declined over an eight month follow-up period in both groups. Most patients still reported symptoms at 30 days (96.9% in asthmatic and 98.6% in non-asthmatic), 60 days (84.4% in asthmatic and 89.9% in non-asthmatic), and 90 days (75% in asthmatic and 76.8% in the non-asthmatic). The median follow-up time was 141 days. There was no difference in time to resolution of symptoms between the groups (Figure 6C, median: 215 days vs 133 days, log-rank test p=0.40). Additionally, resolution of lower respiratory symptoms did not differ between asthmatics and non-asthmatics (Figure 6D) with more than 50% of both groups still reporting lower respiratory symptoms 90 days after initial symptoms. Persistent symptoms for individual asthmatics were reported in all organ systems (Supplemental Figure 5).