Co-occurrence of memory impairment and fatigue distinguishes post COVID from pandemic-related health effects in the 4-year CON-VINCE cohort study

P Patricia Martins Conde J Joëlle V. Fritz M Marc P. O’Sullivan F François Ancien V Venkata Satagopam J Jochen Klucken T Tamir Abdelrahman G Geeta Acharya G Gloria Aguayo P Pinar Alper W Wim Ammerlaan F François Anciens A Ariane Assele-Kama C Christelle Bahlawane K Katy Beaumont N Nadia Beaupain L Lucrèce Beckers C Camille Bellora F Fay Betsou L Luc Biver S Sandie Boly D Dirk Brenner H Henry-Michel Cauchie E Eleftheria Charalambous E Emilie Charpentier E Estelle Coibion S Sylvie Coito D Delphine Collart M Manuel Counson B Brian De Witt A Antonelle Di Pasquale O Olivia Domingues C Claire Dording J Jean-Luc Dourson B Bianca Dragomir T Tessy Fautsch J Jean-Yves Ferrand T Thibault Ferrandon A Ana Festas Lopes G Guillaume Fournier J Joëlle Véronique Fritz M Manon Gantenbein P Piotr Gawron L Laura Georges S Soumyabrata Ghosh S Stéphane Gidenne E Enrico Glaab C Clarissa Gomes B Borja Gomez Ramos V Vyron Gorgogietas J Jérôme Graas V Valentin Groues W Wei Gu G Gaël Hamot A Anne-Marie Hanff M Maxime Hansen L Linda Hansen L Lisa Hefele L Laurent Heirendt A Ahmed Hemedan E Estelle Henry M Margaux Henry E Eve Herkenne S Sascha Herzinger C Christiane Hilger L Laetitia Huiart A Alexander Hundt J Judith Hübschen G Gilles Iserentant P Philipp Jägi A Anne Kaysen P Piyapong Khurmin F Fédéric Klein T Tommy Klein S Stéphanie Kler A Alexey Kolodkin R Rejko Krüger P Pauline Lambert J Jacek Jaroslaw Lebioda S Sabine Lehmann M Marie Leick A Anja Leist M Morgane Lemaire A Andrew Lumley A Annika Lutz J João Manuel Loureiro M Monica Marchese T Tainà Marques F François Massart P Patrick May M Maura Minelli A Alessandra Mousel M Maeva Munsch S Sophie Mériaux F Friedrich Mühlschlegel M Mareike Neumann T Trang Nguyen B Beatrice Nicolai M Marc Paul O’Sullivan L Leslie Ogorzaly J Jochen Ohnmacht C Christiane Olesky M Markus Ollert C Claire Pauly L Laure Pauly L Lukas Pavelka C Christian Penny M Magali Perquin A Achilleas Pexaras P Palma di Pinto M Marie France Pirard J Jean-Marc Plesseria G Guilherme Ramos Meyers A Armin Rauschenberger L Lucie Remark A Antonio Rodriguez B Basile Rommes K Kirsten Rump E Estelle Sandt B Bruno Santos V Venkata P. Satagopam A Aurélie Sausy M Margaux Schmitt C Christiane Schmitt R Reinhard Schneider V Valerie Schröder S Serge Schumacher A Alexandra Schweicher S Sneeha Seal J Jean-Yves Servais F Florian Simon (Department I of Internal Medicine, Center of Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany) A Amna Skrozic C Chantal Snoeck K Kate Sokolowska L Lara Stute H Hermann Thien S Stéphane Toll N Noua Toukourou C Christophe Trefois J Johanna Trouet N Nguyen Trung J Jonathan Turner M Michel Vaillant D Daniela Valoura Esteves C Carlos Vega Moreno C Charlène Verschueren M Maharshi Vyas C Claus Vögele C Cécile Walczak X Xinhui Wang F Femke Wauters B Bernard Weber E Emilie Weibel T Tania Zamboni A Angelo Ferrari D Dmitry Bulaev M Maud Theresine R Robert Sega S Sabrina Saracino A Amy Parrish A Alexia Mendibide A Anna Schritz C Carlos Gamio C Carolina Coimbra C Clair Meek E Ekaterina Soboleva F François Neu G Gessica Contesotto G Guilherme Marques G Guillaume Nieser I Ilsé Richard M Mesele Valenti M Myriam Alexandre M Myriam Menster N Nassera Aouali O Olena Tsurkalenko O Olga Kofanova O Olivia Roland S Saïda Mtimet S Sonia Lamine V Valéry Bocquet V Victoria Lorentz

Abstract

Abstract A major challenge in diagnosing post COVID lies in differentiating symptoms following a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from those that may also occur in uninfected individuals (post COVID mimics) and be associated with a broader impact of the pandemic. The WHO post COVID definition was applied to the Luxembourgish longitudinal CON-VINCE cohort, where SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed via either a positive RT-qPCR or a serology test. Risk factor analysis was conducted on 1,865 individuals. Female gender, lower resilience, greater loneliness, and a higher number of comorbidities were associated with symptoms persistence. The symptomatology and comorbidity profiles of 559 participants (including 50 post COVID and 66 post COVID mimics) were investigated. Two distinct clusters of persistent symptoms were identified: (1) depression with anxiety, present in both infected and non-infected groups, and (2) memory impairment with fatigue, unique to the post COVID group. Therefore, presence of both memory impairment and fatigue may help differentiate post COVID patients from post COVID mimics. Yet, verification that memory impairment was newly developed was not possible, as this symptom was not recorded at baseline. Our findings suggest that future studies should consider factors affecting development of persistent post COVID-like symptoms observed in individuals that were never infected.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 15, Issue 1
Published October 27, 2025
ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Scientific Reports

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2045-2322 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (182)

P

Patricia Martins Conde

J

Joëlle V. Fritz

M

Marc P. O’Sullivan

F

François Ancien

V

Venkata Satagopam

J

Jochen Klucken

T

Tamir Abdelrahman

G

Geeta Acharya

G

Gloria Aguayo

P

Pinar Alper

W

Wim Ammerlaan

F

François Anciens

A

Ariane Assele-Kama

C

Christelle Bahlawane

K

Katy Beaumont

N

Nadia Beaupain

L

Lucrèce Beckers

C

Camille Bellora

F

Fay Betsou

L

Luc Biver

S

Sandie Boly

D

Dirk Brenner

H

Henry-Michel Cauchie

E

Eleftheria Charalambous

E

Emilie Charpentier

E

Estelle Coibion

S

Sylvie Coito

D

Delphine Collart

M

Manuel Counson

B

Brian De Witt

A

Antonelle Di Pasquale

O

Olivia Domingues

C

Claire Dording

J

Jean-Luc Dourson

B

Bianca Dragomir

T

Tessy Fautsch

J

Jean-Yves Ferrand

T

Thibault Ferrandon

A

Ana Festas Lopes

G

Guillaume Fournier

J

Joëlle Véronique Fritz

M

Manon Gantenbein

P

Piotr Gawron

L

Laura Georges

S

Soumyabrata Ghosh

S

Stéphane Gidenne

E

Enrico Glaab

C

Clarissa Gomes

B

Borja Gomez Ramos

V

Vyron Gorgogietas

J

Jérôme Graas

V

Valentin Groues

W

Wei Gu

G

Gaël Hamot

A

Anne-Marie Hanff

M

Maxime Hansen

L

Linda Hansen

L

Lisa Hefele

L

Laurent Heirendt

A

Ahmed Hemedan

E

Estelle Henry

M

Margaux Henry

E

Eve Herkenne

S

Sascha Herzinger

C

Christiane Hilger

L

Laetitia Huiart

A

Alexander Hundt

J

Judith Hübschen

G

Gilles Iserentant

P

Philipp Jägi

A

Anne Kaysen

P

Piyapong Khurmin

F

Fédéric Klein

T

Tommy Klein

S

Stéphanie Kler

A

Alexey Kolodkin

R

Rejko Krüger

P

Pauline Lambert

J

Jacek Jaroslaw Lebioda

S

Sabine Lehmann

M

Marie Leick

A

Anja Leist

M

Morgane Lemaire

A

Andrew Lumley

A

Annika Lutz

J

João Manuel Loureiro

M

Monica Marchese

T

Tainà Marques

F

François Massart

P

Patrick May

M

Maura Minelli

A

Alessandra Mousel

M

Maeva Munsch

S

Sophie Mériaux

F

Friedrich Mühlschlegel

M

Mareike Neumann

T

Trang Nguyen

B

Beatrice Nicolai

M

Marc Paul O’Sullivan

L

Leslie Ogorzaly

J

Jochen Ohnmacht

C

Christiane Olesky

M

Markus Ollert

C

Claire Pauly

L

Laure Pauly

L

Lukas Pavelka

C

Christian Penny

M

Magali Perquin

A

Achilleas Pexaras

P

Palma di Pinto

M

Marie France Pirard

J

Jean-Marc Plesseria

G

Guilherme Ramos Meyers

A

Armin Rauschenberger

L

Lucie Remark

A

Antonio Rodriguez

B

Basile Rommes

K

Kirsten Rump

E

Estelle Sandt

B

Bruno Santos

V

Venkata P. Satagopam

A

Aurélie Sausy

M

Margaux Schmitt

C

Christiane Schmitt

R

Reinhard Schneider

V

Valerie Schröder

S

Serge Schumacher

A

Alexandra Schweicher

S

Sneeha Seal

J

Jean-Yves Servais

F

Florian Simon

Department I of Internal Medicine, Center of Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

A

Amna Skrozic

C

Chantal Snoeck

K

Kate Sokolowska

L

Lara Stute

H

Hermann Thien

S

Stéphane Toll

N

Noua Toukourou

C

Christophe Trefois

J

Johanna Trouet

N

Nguyen Trung

J

Jonathan Turner

M

Michel Vaillant

D

Daniela Valoura Esteves

C

Carlos Vega Moreno

C

Charlène Verschueren

M

Maharshi Vyas

C

Claus Vögele

C

Cécile Walczak

X

Xinhui Wang

F

Femke Wauters

B

Bernard Weber

E

Emilie Weibel

T

Tania Zamboni

A

Angelo Ferrari

D

Dmitry Bulaev

M

Maud Theresine

R

Robert Sega

S

Sabrina Saracino

A

Amy Parrish

A

Alexia Mendibide

A

Anna Schritz

C

Carlos Gamio

C

Carolina Coimbra

C

Clair Meek

E

Ekaterina Soboleva

F

François Neu

G

Gessica Contesotto

G

Guilherme Marques

G

Guillaume Nieser

I

Ilsé Richard

M

Mesele Valenti

M

Myriam Alexandre

M

Myriam Menster

N

Nassera Aouali

O

Olena Tsurkalenko

O

Olga Kofanova

O

Olivia Roland

S

Saïda Mtimet

S

Sonia Lamine

V

Valéry Bocquet

V

Victoria Lorentz