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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Rehabil. Sci.
Sec. Interventions for Rehabilitation
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fresc.2024.1448816
This article is part of the Research Topic Post-Acute COVID Rehabilitation View all 6 articles

Distinguishing pain profiles among individuals with Long COVID

Provisionally accepted
Laura Tabacof Laura Tabacof 1*Maanas Chiplunkar Maanas Chiplunkar 2Alexandra Canori Alexandra Canori 1Rebecca Howard Rebecca Howard 1Jamie Wood Jamie Wood 1Amy Proal Amy Proal 1David Putrino David Putrino 1
  • 1 Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
  • 2 Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, Mineola, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: For many people with long COVID (LC), new-onset pain is a debilitating consequence. This study examined the nature of new-onset pain and concomitant symptoms in patients with LC to infer mechanisms of pain from the relationships between pain and health-related factors. Methods: Pain and other symptoms were evaluated in 153 individuals with LC using the Self-Administered Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs, EuroQoL Visual Analog Scale, and Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders. The relationships between pain and patient factors were analyzed using Chi Square and independent t-tests. Results: 20.3% of individuals who reported new-onset pain had neuropathic pain, which was associated with lower quality of life and higher rates of cognitive dysfunction compared to those with non-neuropathic pain. Other symptoms were similar between groups, however heart-related symptoms were more prevalent in individuals with neuropathic pain and mood swings were more prevalent for individuals with non-neuropathic pain. Conclusions: Characterizing the relationships between NP and quality of life in individuals with LC can aid in developing better clinical management strategies. Understanding the associations between NP and cognitive dysfunction provides the imperative foundation for future studies further examining the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying pain development in LC.

    Keywords: Long Covid, Pain, Neuropathic, Cognition, Cognitive Function, Rehabilitation, quality of life Funding

    Received: 13 Jun 2024; Accepted: 02 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Tabacof, Chiplunkar, Canori, Howard, Wood, Proal and Putrino. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Laura Tabacof, Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.