P2.D063: Association between SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Quality of Life 6- and 12-Months After Infection

Background: Evaluations of the persistent effects of SARS-COV-2 infection have focused on the presence/absence of ‘long COVID' also known as the 'Post-COVID Condition' or PCC as a dichotomous measure, an approach that ignores its impact on quality of life. Quantifying the prevalence of PCC has been a challenge due to the lack of standardized definitions, numerous forms of bias, and between study heterogeneity. Moreover, while it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the overall well-being of children, determining the the impact due to infection, relative to the global impact of the pandemic remains unclear.

Methods: To inform our understanding of the direct effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on QoL, we conducted a prospective, multi-center, cohort study of children tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection in pediatric emergency departments (ED) across Canada. We sought to evaluate the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and QoL 6- and 12-months following ED evaluation, quantifying QoL as a continuous measure. Eligible participants were children tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection between August 2020 and February 2022. QoL was measured using PedsQL-4.0, and overall health status scores.

Results: : Among SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative participants eligible for long-term follow-up, 74.8% (505/675) and 71.8% (1106/1541) at 6- and 59.0% (727/1233) and 68.1% (2520/3699) at 12-months, completed follow-up, respectively. Mean ± SD PedsQL scores did not differ between positive and negative groups; difference: -0.86 (95%CI: -2.33, 0.61) at 6- and -0.48 (95%CI: -1.6, 0.64) at 12-months, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 test-positivity was associated with higher social sub-scale scores. Although in bi-variate analysis, overall health status at 6-month was higher among SARS-CoV-2 cases [difference: 2.16 (95%CI: 0.80, 3.53)], after adjustment for covariates, SARS-CoV-2 infection was not independently associated with total PedsQL or overall health status at either time point. Parental perception of recovery did not differ based on SARS-CoV-2 test-status at either time point.

Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 infection was not associated with QoL, overall health status, or parental perception of recovery 6- and 12-months following infection.