Table 3 Comparison among patients who had never had PCC, patients with resolved and patients with persistent PCC

Age, median (IQR)

59 (52–71)

64 (51–73)

59 (50–68)

60 (53–72)

0.174

Females, n (%)

164 (39.2%)

36 (43.9%)

62 (46.6%)

66 (32.5%)

0.022

Comorbidities, n (%)

146 (34.9%)

27 (32.9%)

48 (36.1%)

71 (35%)

0.894

Obesity, n (%)

92/314 (29%)

10/44 (23%)

27/86 (31%)

55/184 (30%)

0.885

COVID-19 vaccination before infection, n (%)

37/366 (10.1%)

12 (19.7%)

15 (14.2%)

10 (5%)

0.001

Calendar period, n (%):

 2020

287 (69%)

32 (39.5%)

73 (55.3%)

182 (89.7%)

 < 0.001

 2021

98 (23.6%)

39 (48.1%)

44 (33.3%)

15 (7.4%)

 2022

24 (5.8%)

8 (9.9%)

12 (9.1%)

4 (2%)

 2023

7 (1.7%)

2 (2.3%)

3 (2.3%)

2 (1%)

Setting, n (%):

 Outpatients

27 (6.5%)

10 (12.2%)

5 (3.7%)

12 (5.9%)

0.004

 Hospital admission

391 (93.5%)

72 (87.8%)

128 (96.3%)

191 (94.1%)

 Lenght of hospital stay, days, median (IQR)

27 (22–36)

18 (7.7–24)

29 (23–35)

28 (21–39)

 < 0.001

 Interstitial pneumonia, n (%)

286/324 (88%)

44/53 (83%)

91/101 (90%)

151/170 (89%)

0.409

Oxygen therapy, n (%):

 None

96 (23%)

24 (29.3%)

30 (22.6%)

42 (20.7%)

0.444

 NC/VM

143 (34.2%)

25 (30.5%)

43 (32.3%)

75 (36.9%)

 RM/HFNC/cPAP

151 (36.1%)

31 (37.8%)

49 (36.8%)

71 (35%)

 NIV/OTI

28 (6.7%)

2 (2.4%)

11 (8.3%)

15 (7.4%)

 Months from the acute phase, median (IQR)

8 (6–15)

8 (6–16)

10 (6–21)

7 (6–11)

0.015

 HADS/A, n (%)

41/295 (13.9%)

1/28 (3.6%)

20/88 (22.7%)

20/179 (11.2%)

0.009

 HADS/D, n (%)

25/293 (8.5%)

1/28 (3.6%)

13/86 (15.1%)

11/179 (6.1%)

0.031

 PSTD, n (%)

68/216 (31.5%)

0/18 (0%)

30/66 (45.5%)

38/132 (28.8%)

 < 0.001