Abstract
Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 infection (PASC) is a widely reported phenomenon wherein symptoms of COVID-19 infection persist for four weeks or more beyond acute infection. Risk factors at baseline (prior to infection) for the development of PASC are not well understood. This study aimed to identify baseline demographic, physical and mental health characteristics associated with the development of PASC. We identified 351 participants who reported contracting COVID-19 and 145 that experienced PASC symptoms. Baseline physical health, mental health, and demographic data were collected for all participants. Risk factors for the development of PASC were identified using multivariable logistic regression. PASC was associated with lower income, Hispanic ethnicity, younger age, and respiratory conditions (asthma or COPD). Worse self-reported mental health status, a diagnosis of depression, and a higher patient health questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) score were also associated with PASC. We then used latent class analysis and identified two subtypes of PASC, one with fewer PASC symptoms (n = 112) and another with many PASC symptoms (n = 33). Risk factors for membership in each class were different, but a past diagnosis of depression predicted membership in both classes compared to those without PASC. A diagnosis of depression was more strongly associated with the "many symptoms" class compared to the "few symptoms" class. We find that several mental health and demographic risk factors are linked to PASC. More research is necessary to understand both the two subtypes of PASC identified in our analysis, and the underlying relationship between COVID-19 infection and PASC.