Persistent Neurological Symptoms in Chronic Disease Patients After COVID‐19 Infection in Jamaica: A Retrospective Cohort Study Exploring Clinical Manifestations of Long COVID in a Low and Middle Income Country

Background and Aims There is uncertainty about the long term effects of COVID‐19 infection. We describe the dominant reported symptoms and their sociodemographic risk factors in a sample of Jamaican patients with non‐communicable diseases (NCD) and laboratory determined infection status. Methods A retrospective cohort study (February 20, 2023–September 12, 2023) of patients from the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) were identified through participation in the Caribbean COVID‐19 Metabolic Health Study (CCMHS) or ICU admissions between March 2020 and March 2021 with a positive PCR. COVID‐19 infection status was based on anti‐nucleocapsid (anti‐N) antibodies in those without PCR reports. Participants were classified as “Exposed” if they had positive anti‐N antibodies or a positive PCR test and “Unexposed” if they had negative anti‐N antibodies. Bivariate analyses compared current symptoms and quality of life of exposed and unexposed participants. Logistic regression explored factors associated with memory loss. Results Eighty‐six persons (62 exposed and 24 unexposed; mean age 54.1 ± 13.4 years; median “time since first COVID‐19 diagnosis” 1.9 years) participated in the study. “Not [feeling] quite right” (59.3%), joint pains (46.5%), fatigue (45.4%), numbness/tingling (43.0%), headache (26.7%), and shortness of breath (23.3%) were the most common symptoms that were similarly reported in persons regardless of infection status. Memory loss was more common among exposed participants (41.9% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.01) and among those with COVID‐19 infection, self‐reported depression/anxiety increased the odds of this symptom (OR 6.7 (1.7–25.7). Conclusion Cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal symptoms were common among NCD patients regardless of previous COVID‐19 infection. However, memory loss was more common up to 2 years after initial COVID‐19 infection. Prospective cohorts of long COVID in subpopulations are critical to elucidating its natural history.