Two years and counting: a prospective cohort study on the scope and severity of post-COVID symptoms across diverse patient groups in the Netherlands-insights from the CORFU study.

Publication date: Sep 11, 2025

Little research has been done on post-COVID symptoms at 24 months postinfection and on the association these may have on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We assessed the prevalence and severity of post-COVID symptoms and quantified EuroQol 5 Dimension 5 Level (EQ-5D-5L), self-perceived health question (EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS)) and health utility scores (HUS) up to 24 months follow-up. The longitudinal multiple cohort CORona Follow-Up (CORFU) study combines seven COVID-19 patient cohorts and a survey among the general public. The participants received questionnaires on several time points. Participants were stratified by: without a known SARS-CoV-2 infection (control group), proven SARS-CoV-2 infection but non-hospitalised, proven SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalised to the ward, and proven SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalised to the intensive care unit (ICU). In this study, data of seven COVID-19 patient cohorts and a survey among the general public are included. Former COVID-19 patients and controls participated in this cohort study. Former COVID-19 patients and non-COVID-19 controls were sent questionnaires on symptoms associated with post-COVID condition. The CORFU questionnaire included 14 symptom questions on post-COVID condition using a five-level Likert-scale format. Furthermore, HRQOL was quantified using the EuroQol EQ-5D-5L questionnaire: EQ-VAS and the EQ-5D-5L utility score. The EQ-5D-5L questionnaire includes five domains that are scored on a five-point Likert scale: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. A total of 901 participants (and 434 controls) responded at 24 months follow-up. In all former COVID-19 patients, the presence of post-COVID condition at 24 months was observed in 62 (42. 5%, 95% CI 34. 3% to 50. 9%) of the non-hospitalised patients, 333 (65. 0%, 95% CI 60. 7% to 69. 2%) of the hospitalised ward patients and 156 (63. 2%, 95% CI 56. 8% to 69. 2%) of the ICU patients, respectively (p

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