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Evidence on long-term health effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection remains scarce. Using a wearable-derived behavioral and physiological dataset (n = 20,815), we identified 137 individuals characterized by self-reported persistent fatigue and shortness of breath following a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Compared with symptom-free COVID-19 positive and negative controls, these individuals had higher resting heart rates (mean difference 2.37/1.49 bpm) and lower daily step counts (mean 3,030/2,909 steps fewer), even at least three weeks prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, persistent COVID-19 symptoms were associated with a significant reduction in mean quality of life (WHO-5, EQ-5D), even before infection. Analysis of individual wearable time series suggests that individuals with persistent symptoms may have been more exposed to pre-existing health conditions/lower fitness levels prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study demonstrates the potential of wearable devices to track physiological and physical activity dynamics under natural conditions in the context of infectious and chronic diseases.
Ledebur et al. (2024) studied this question.
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