{"doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0279684","title":"“Living like an empty gas tank with a leak”: Mixed methods study on post-acute sequelae of COVID-19","abstract":"BACKGROUND: The burden and presentation of post-acute sequela of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) are a developing major public health concern. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the burden of PASC in community-dwelling individuals and understand the experiences of people living with PASC. METHODS: This mixed-methods study of COVID-19 positive community-dwelling persons involved surveys and in-depth interviews. Main outcome was self-report of possible PASC symptoms 3 weeks or longer after positive COVID-19 test. In-depth interviews were guided by a semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions and probes based on emerging literature on PASC and the impact of COVID-19. RESULTS: With a survey response rate of 70%, 442 participants were included in this analysis, mean (SD) age 45.4 (16.2) years, 71% female, 12% Black/African American. Compared to those with no PASC symptoms, persons who reported PASC symptoms were more likely to be older (mean age: 46.5 vs. 42; p = 0.013), female (74.3% vs. 61.2%; p = 0.010), to have pre-existing conditions (49.6% vs. 34%; p = 0.005), and to have been hospitalized for COVID-19 (14.2% vs. 2.9%; p = 0.002). About 30% of the participants experienced severe fatigue; the proportion of persons reporting severe fatigue was 7-fold greater in those with PASC symptoms (Adjusted Prevalence Ratio [aPR] 6.73, 95%CI: 2.80-16.18). Persons with PASC symptoms were more likely to report poor quality of life (16% vs. 5%, p<0.001) and worse mental health functioning (Mean difference: -1.87 95%CI: -2.38, -1.37, p<0.001). Themes from in-depth interviews revealed PASC was experienced as debilitating. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the prevalence of PASC among community-dwelling adults was substantial. Participants reported considerable coping difficulties, restrictions in everyday activities, invisibility of symptoms and experiences, and impediments to getting and receiving PASC care.","journal":"PLoS ONE","year":2022,"id":276201,"datarank":0.3453877639491069,"base_score":2.302585092994046,"endowment":2.302585092994046,"self_citation_contribution":0.3453877639491069,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.3453877639491069,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":9,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.8658,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2022-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":946321,"name":"Sarah Slone","orcid":"0000-0001-6980-9674","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":946322,"name":"Abeer Alharthi","orcid":"0000-0001-7952-5851","position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":946781,"name":"Tosin Tomiwa","orcid":null,"position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":946782,"name":"Baridosia Kumbe","orcid":null,"position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":858959,"name":"Alanna Bergman","orcid":"0000-0003-1474-7765","position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":940372,"name":"Katherine McNabb","orcid":"0000-0003-0987-7952","position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":946783,"name":"Rhonda Smith Wright","orcid":null,"position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":299160,"name":"Jason E. Farley","orcid":"0000-0002-6896-0134","position":8,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":367221,"name":"Cheryl Dennison Himmelfarb","orcid":"0000-0003-1918-4316","position":9,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":361320,"name":"Lisa A. Cooper","orcid":"0000-0001-6707-6390","position":10,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":24935,"name":"Wendy S. Post","orcid":"0000-0002-8655-5204","position":11,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":655854,"name":"Patricia M. Davidson","orcid":"0000-0003-2050-1534","position":12,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":377293,"name":"Yvonne Commodore‐Mensah","orcid":"0000-0002-5054-3025","position":13,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":721950,"name":"Oluwabunmi Ogungbe","orcid":"0000-0003-1813-0906","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":44,"raw_metadata":{"citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-07-19T00:28:26.545826Z","pmid":"36584125","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}