Prevalence and symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome in active-duty military personnel

BACKGROUND: Post-acute COVID-19 is a syndrome characterized by the persistence of clinical symptoms beyond 4 weeks from the onset of acute symptoms. Over 250,000 Department of Defense service members have recovered or are recovering from acute COVID-19, and the range of symptoms and physiological changes can impact the medical readiness of military service members. Understanding the chronic illness among some of the active-duty personnel with this virus is needed to begin finding treatments to reduce their symptoms and improve their health outcomes. METHODS: This was a longitudinal, descriptive study designed to examine the prevalence and persistence of the symptoms of active-duty military persons who have post-COVID-19 syndrome. We obtained data from electronic health records (EHRs) of clinics and hospitals of the armed services from U.S. military bases. The de-identified data set came from the Department of Defense Military Health System Data Repository (MDR) which is a centralized data repository established to capture, archive, validate, integrate, and distribute Defense Health Agency (DHA) data worldwide. RESULTS: The most prevalent symptom was pulmonary related, affecting 22.4 % of individuals with post-COVID-19 syndrome. The second most prevalent symptom was neurological problems (14.6 %), followed by fatigue (13.5 %), digestive issues (12.5 %), and fever (11.5 %). Approximately 3.7 % of military personnel with post-COVID-19 experienced cognitive symptoms however, they had the greatest persistence, followed by pulmonary related, fatigue, and neurological symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the symptoms identified, finding treatments for post-COVID-19 syndrome is needed particularly for military personnel to maintain fitness and readiness.