Immunological Density Shapes Recovery Trajectories in Long COVID
[Line breaks added]
Abstract
Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (Long COVID) frequently persists for months, yet drivers of clinical remission remain incompletely defined.
Here we analyzed 97,564 longitudinal PASC assessments from 13,511 participants with linked vaccination histories to disentangle passive temporal progression from vaccine-associated change.
Using a clinically validated threshold (PASC ≥ 12), trajectories separated into three phenotypes: Protected (persistently sub-threshold), Refractory (persistently symptomatic), and Responders (transi- tioning from symptomatic to recovered).
Across the full cohort, symptom severity increased modestly with elapsed time (r = 0.0521, P = 1.26 × 10−59), whereas cumulative vaccination showed an inverse association with severity (r = −0.0434, P = 5.95 × 10−42). Kaplan–Meier analyses further sup- ported distinct recovery kinetics, with Responders recovering gradually over extended follow-up.
In summary, baseline Long COVID severity appears clinically deterministic. In the absence of intervention, symptoms typically persist without spontaneous resolution. Recovery is primarily associated with repeated immunization.
Web | DOI | PDF | ArXiv | Preprint
Jing Wang; Tong Zhang; Xing Niu; Jie Shen; Yiming Luo; Qiaomin Xie; Amar Sra; Zorina Galis; Jeremy C. Weiss
[Line breaks added]
Abstract
Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (Long COVID) frequently persists for months, yet drivers of clinical remission remain incompletely defined.
Here we analyzed 97,564 longitudinal PASC assessments from 13,511 participants with linked vaccination histories to disentangle passive temporal progression from vaccine-associated change.
Using a clinically validated threshold (PASC ≥ 12), trajectories separated into three phenotypes: Protected (persistently sub-threshold), Refractory (persistently symptomatic), and Responders (transi- tioning from symptomatic to recovered).
Across the full cohort, symptom severity increased modestly with elapsed time (r = 0.0521, P = 1.26 × 10−59), whereas cumulative vaccination showed an inverse association with severity (r = −0.0434, P = 5.95 × 10−42). Kaplan–Meier analyses further sup- ported distinct recovery kinetics, with Responders recovering gradually over extended follow-up.
In summary, baseline Long COVID severity appears clinically deterministic. In the absence of intervention, symptoms typically persist without spontaneous resolution. Recovery is primarily associated with repeated immunization.
Web | DOI | PDF | ArXiv | Preprint