Publications by authors named "Sharon Saydah"
Background: Little is known about how symptoms or symptom clusters of Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) impact an individual's return to pre-COVID health.
Methods: We used four state-level COVID-19 case reporting systems and patient-reported survey data to identify patients with PCC and associations with an individual's return to pre-COVID health after laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Participants had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test between March-December 2020.
Article Synopsis
- A study was conducted from September 2022 to April 2023 to evaluate how COVID-19 vaccines affect the risk of infection in children under 5 years old.
- The results showed no significant difference in infection risk between vaccinated and unvaccinated children.
- Although the vaccines are effective in preventing severe illness, they may not prevent the actual infection of the virus in young kids.
Although most children are spared from developing complications from SARS-CoV-2 infection, some may suffer consequences including Long Covid and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Although the occurrence of these conditions has decreased over time, they can still occur, and recognition of symptoms and prompt diagnosis is imperative for early intervention.
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- - The study investigates the prevalence of long-term symptoms in blood donors based on their SARS-CoV-2 infection status, focusing on differences across various occupations and industries.
- - Data was collected from nearly 28,000 donors, revealing that 45% of those previously infected reported new long-term symptoms, compared to 24% of those never infected, with higher symptom prevalence in certain job sectors like healthcare support and accommodation services.
- - The findings suggest that certain occupational groups experience more long-term symptoms due to their exposure to COVID-19, indicating a potential need for workplace accommodations to support affected employees.
Article Synopsis
- * A study found that as age increases, the likelihood of older adults receiving antiviral treatment decreases, with only 35.2% of those aged 90 and above receiving it.
- * Among patients aged 65 and older, those who did not receive antiviral treatment were more likely to suffer severe outcomes, indicating a need for improved antiviral access for older populations.
Background: Track PCC includes five geographic surveillance sites to conduct standardized population-based surveillance to estimate and track Post-COVID Conditions (PCC) by age, sex, race/ethnicity, geographic area, severity of initial infection, and risk factors among persons with evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (based on the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologist [CSTE] case definitions for confirmed cases or laboratory-confirmed evidence of infection).
Methods: The study will estimate the incidence, prevalence, including temporal trends, and duration and severity of PCC symptoms, among children, adolescents, and adults. PCCs include a broad range of symptoms and conditions that continue or develop after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 illness.
To understand the roles of acute-phase viral dynamics and host immune responses in post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), we enrolled 136 participants within 5 days of their first positive SARS-CoV-2 real-time PCR test. Participants self-collected up to 21 nasal specimens within the first 28 days post-symptom onset; interviewer-administered questionnaires and blood samples were collected at enrollment, days 9, 14, 21, 28, and month 4 and 8 post-symptom onset. Defining PASC as the presence of any COVID-associated symptom at their 4-month visit, we compared viral markers (quantity and duration of nasal viral RNA load, infectious viral load, and plasma N-antigen level) and host immune markers (IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-α, IFN-γ, MCP, IP-10, and Spike IgG) over the acute period.
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- This study investigates how race, ethnicity, and gender affect long-term health-related quality of life in individuals who tested positive for COVID-19, focusing on changes in well-being over a three-month period.
- Among COVID-19 positive participants, Black individuals showed better cognitive function and reduced fatigue compared to non-Hispanic Whites, while females and gender diverse groups reported worse overall well-being and less improvement in fatigue.
- The findings suggest that social constructs, such as race, ethnicity, and gender, play a significant role in COVID-19 health outcomes, highlighting the need for further research in this area.
Importance: Chronic symptoms reported following an infection with SARS-CoV-2, such as cognitive problems, overlap with symptoms included in the definition of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of ME/CFS-like illness subsequent to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, changes in ME/CFS symptoms through 12 months of follow-up, and the association of ME/CFS symptoms with SARS-CoV-2 test results at the acute infection-like index illness.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This prospective, multisite, longitudinal cohort study (Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry [INSPIRE]) enrolled participants from December 11, 2020, to August 29, 2022.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the prevalence of post-COVID conditions among adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 using a primary care registry in the U.S.
- Researchers compared COVID-19 patients to historical controls with influenza-like illness and contemporaneous wellness patients, finding higher rates of breathing difficulties, type 2 diabetes, fatigue, and sleep disturbances in the COVID-19 group.
- The results suggest that while there is a moderate burden of post-COVID conditions in primary care, these conditions are not as prevalent as reported in specialized or hospital settings.
Article Synopsis
- PCORnet is a major research network that standardizes clinical data from various health systems and expanded its infrastructure in 2018 to support public health surveillance of chronic diseases and COVID-19.
- Enhancements included a new table for patient zip codes and a modular program for generating population health statistics; case studies showed significant findings for conditions like atrial fibrillation and cirrhosis.
- By August 2023, most PCORnet sites were able to provide detailed patient data, demonstrating its potential to improve public health surveillance with comprehensive data across different health conditions.
Background: There are limited population-representative data that describe the potential burden of Post-COVID conditions (PCC) in Mexico. We estimated the prevalence of PCC overall and by sociodemographic characteristics among a representative sample of adults previously diagnosed with COVID-19 in Mexico. We additionally, characterized the PCC symptoms, and estimated the association between diagnosed type-2 diabetes and hypertension with PCC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: After SARS-CoV-2 infection, some people will experience long-term sequelae known as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC). Although PCC is recognized as a public health problem, estimates of the prevalence of PCC are sparse. We described a framework for estimating the incidence and prevalence of PCC by population subgroups and geography over time in Washington State.
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- The study focuses on COVID-19 mitigation measures in workplaces where U.S. blood donors are employed, analyzing how these measures differ by industry and work arrangement.
- Data was collected from over 53,000 respondents between May and December 2021, revealing varied implementation of measures like ventilation upgrades (20% overall), telework access (53% overall), and mask requirements (84% overall), with fewer measures reported by independent workers.
- The findings suggest that mitigation strategies should be customized for specific industries and job types, as a uniform approach may not effectively address unique workplace challenges related to disease transmission.
Article Synopsis
- COVID-19 vaccinations are effective in preventing severe illness and death but their impact on post-COVID conditions (PCC) is less understood, prompting a study to evaluate this association.
- The study analyzed electronic health records from over 161,000 vaccinated and unvaccinated COVID-19 patients from multiple healthcare systems, focusing on new diagnoses of PCC within six months after infection.
- Results showed that vaccinated individuals had a lower risk of several PCC categories, especially sensory and circulatory issues, while mental health disorders had a slightly higher risk in vaccinated individuals, indicating that vaccination may help reduce long-term COVID-19 consequences.
Introduction: Long COVID encompasses a wide range of health problems that emerge, persist, or recur following acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness. Given that the prevalence of self-reported Long COVID is highest among U.S.
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- - The study investigates the prevalence of long-term health symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection, addressing the gap of previous research that lacked control groups uninfected by the virus.
- - Conducted among American Red Cross blood donors, the cross-sectional study involved surveys and serologic testing to assess new symptoms from March 2020 onwards, focusing on neurological, gastrointestinal, respiratory, cardiac, and mental health issues.
- - Results showed that 43.3% of individuals with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection reported new long-term symptoms, significantly higher than the 22.1% in those without such a history, suggesting a strong link between COVID-19 and the development of these symptoms.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigated the long-term disability symptoms of individuals who had mild to moderate COVID-19-like illness, comparing those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with those who tested negative before widespread vaccination.
- - Participants completed surveys over several months to assess their health status, including aspects like physical function, fatigue, and dyspnea, with 2712 adults enrolled but only 650 completing the final follow-up.
- - Results showed that while SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals reported more acute illness symptoms like fever, their self-reported disability levels were similar to those who tested negative after 2-7 months, indicating no significant long-term differences between the two groups.
Introduction: Since March 2020, Hispanic and Black/African American persons have made up a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. However, little is known about whether the prevalence of postacute sequelae or post-COVID conditions differs by race/ethnicity.
Methods: This study used cross-sectional survey data collected by Porter Novelli Public Services to determine the prevalence of ≥1 ongoing symptom lasting ≥4 weeks by SARS-CoV-2 test status and racial/ethnic groups among 2,890 adults in the U.
Introduction: Data on ethnic and racial differences in symptoms and health-related impacts following SARS-CoV-2 infection are limited. We aimed to estimate the ethnic and racial differences in symptoms and health-related impacts 3 and 6 months after the first SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Methods: Participants included adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection enrolled in a prospective multicenter US study between 12/11/2020 and 7/4/2022 as the primary cohort of interest, as well as a SARS-CoV-2-negative cohort to account for non-SARS-CoV-2-infection impacts, who completed enrollment and 3-month surveys ( = 3,161; 2,402 SARS-CoV-2-positive, 759 SARS-CoV-2-negative).