Discover what the latest science from the RECOVER Initiative means for our ability to understand, treat, and prevent Long COVID.
This page contains descriptions of findings from RECOVER research studies. These descriptions use plain language and a format that is easy to understand.
If you want to learn more about the scientific discoveries described here, you can also browse and search the complete list of RECOVER Publications.
RECOVER researchers analyzed electronic health records (EHR) in order to define Long COVID. Researchers found up to 25 different symptoms that patients who had COVID were more likely to have than those who didn’t have COVID. The symptoms were related to many different organs, such as memory loss, hair loss, and feeling tired. They found that certain types of Long COVID symptoms were more likely to happen in patients who were older, had more severe COVID, or had more health problems before they had COVID.
This research is important because the findings show that Long COVID affects many organs, and types of Long COVID symptoms differ between certain groups of patients. However, EHR findings are limited in that they can only look at data from the patients' past. In order to confirm these findings, future studies that follow patients' symptoms over time, into the future, are needed.
RECOVER researchers explored Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a Long COVID symptom where there is inflammation (swelling) of multiple organ systems. Researchers looked to see if MIS-C can be identified and managed in the home (outpatient) instead of in the hospital (inpatient).
An organ system is a collection of organs in your body dedicated to maintaining necessary functions. For example, your heart, arteries, and veins make up the Cardiovascular System--the system responsible for maintaining blood flow and delivering oxygen throughout the body.
Researchers were able to identify that in some patients, their MIS-C symptoms were mild enough to be treated at home and not require hospitalization. These results raise awareness that MIS-C can present in milder forms with the option to treat it at home if directed by a physician.
The relationship between COVID-19 and diabetes has captured the interest of many researchers. Some studies suggest that people may be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes after having COVID. The authors of this study tried to find out whether new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes are more common after having COVID. They did this by looking at electronic health records (EHRs), which are digital medical charts that have health data like doctor visits, lab results, and other health history.
The researchers looked at the EHRs of people across the country who had COVID and were also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within 6 months before or after having COVID. They found that the number of new diagnoses increased during the period when people had COVID, likely due to increased interaction with the healthcare system during that time. However, the average number of new diabetes diagnoses was about 83% lower in the 6 months after having COVID than in the 6 months before having COVID. This analysis could not explain whether having COVID makes people more likely to get diabetes, but it does include the unexpected finding that a diabetes diagnosis was less common months after having COVID.
RECOVER researchers looked at the use of a code to diagnose Long COVID in electronic health records (EHRs). They used EHR data from over 8,000 people and compared people who had the ICD-10 code for Long COVID (which is U09.9) in their EHR on or after October 1, 2021. They also looked at other codes in their EHR for health conditions, symptoms, tests, and treatments within 60 days after their Long COVID diagnosis.
Researchers found that many doctors use the Long COVID code along with other codes. People with Long COVID had a mix of symptoms and other health conditions, tests, and treatments. This suggests there may be different types of Long COVID. The researchers concluded that for now, doctors should look at a person’s mix of symptoms and other health conditions to diagnose Long COVID.
In this study, RECOVER researchers used a computer program to identify possible types of Long COVID based on electronic health records (EHRs). They used the computer program to review EHRs of people diagnosed with Long COVID and group them based on patterns in their symptoms and health conditions.
The computer program found 6 different types of Long COVID, which were related to 1) many symptoms and health conditions with unusual lab test results, 2) the lungs, 3) the brain, 4) the heart, 5) pain and feeling weak and tired (fatigue), and 6) many symptoms and conditions with pain. Each type of Long COVID also differed based on health conditions people had before COVID and how severe their COVID infection was. This research could help identify people with different types of Long COVID to better diagnose and treat them and invite them to join research studies.
RECOVER researchers wanted to learn if there are different types of Long COVID based on symptoms and health problems that often happen together. Researchers used data from electronic health records (EHRs) of about 35,000 people diagnosed with COVID. The EHRs were from 2 healthcare systems in PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. They used a computer program to look for patterns in people’s new symptoms and health problems that started 30 to 180 days after having COVID.
The researchers found 4 main types of Long COVID based on symptoms and health problems that happen together. The 4 types of Long COVID are related to the 1) heart and kidneys, 2) breathing, sleep, and anxiety, 3) muscles and nerves, and 4) digestive tract and breathing. This research could help define types of Long COVID to give people more specific diagnoses and treatment plans.
RECOVER researchers used data in electronic health records (EHRs) from children’s hospitals that were a part of the National Pediatric Learning Health System Network (PEDSnet). Researchers looked for symptoms, health conditions, and medicines children had about 1 to 6 months after a COVID test. They compared children who did and didn’t have COVID to learn how many children who had COVID got Long COVID, and symptoms and health problems Long COVID causes in children.
The researchers learned that Long COVID is uncommon in children and happens in about 4% of children with COVID compared to in about 5% - 21% of adults with COVID. They also learned the Long COVID symptoms and health conditions that happen most often in children include changes in smell or taste hair loss, trouble breathing, and inflammation (swelling) in the heart or muscles.
RECOVER researchers wanted to learn if a computer program could identify if people have Long COVID based on electronic health records (EHRs). They used EHRs from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C). Researchers created and used a computer program to compare people with Long COVID to those who didn’t have Long COVID (based on whether or not people had a visit to a Long COVID clinic in their EHR). The computer program looked for patterns in people’s symptoms, health conditions, and other data.
The researchers concluded their computer program could be used to identify people with possible Long COVID. The computer program found that people with Long COVID have patterns in their health care visits, age groups, symptoms and health conditions, and the medicines they take. This could help connect people with Long COVID to health care or invite them to join research studies.
RECOVER researchers wanted to learn more about the chance of getting a mental health condition after having COVID. Researchers reviewed electronic health records (EHRs) of people who had COVID and people who had other types of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). They looked at how many people were diagnosed with a mental health condition shortly (21 days to 4 months) after having COVID compared to other RTIs. They also looked at how many people were diagnosed later (more than 4 months to 1 year) after having COVID compared to other RTIs.
The researchers found that people who had COVID were about a quarter (25%) more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition shortly after having COVID (21 days to 4 months afterwards) compared to people who had other RTIs. The researchers concluded that health care systems should do mental health screenings shortly after a person has COVID to better diagnose and treat mental health conditions.
