Elevated central sensitization inventory scores are associated with a multidimensional symptom profile after coronavirus disease 2019

Post-COVID-19 condition comprises persistent heterogeneous symptoms, and central sensitization-related manifestations may overlap with neurocognitive, autonomic, affective, and functional complaints. This cross-sectional study examined associations between Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) scores ≥ 40 and persistent clinical manifestations in 153 adults with symptoms after self-reported COVID-19 who attended an outpatient clinic in southern Brazil during 2021–2022. Anxiety, depressive symptoms, sleep quality, functional status, and post-COVID-19 symptoms were assessed.

Robust Poisson regression estimated prevalence ratios adjusted for age, sex, education, smoking, body mass index, hypertension and diabetes reported after COVID-19, and hospitalization during acute infection. CSI scores ≥ 40 were observed in 56.2% of participants. In fully adjusted exposure-specific models, elevated CSI scores were associated with brain fog (PR = 1.712; 95% CI 1.185–2.473; p = 0.004), abdominal pain (PR = 1.768; 95% CI 1.206–2.592; p = 0.003), exercise intolerance (PR = 1.533; 95% CI 1.112–2.113; p = 0.009), depressive symptoms (PR = 1.246; 95% CI 1.097–1.416; p = 0.001), and functional limitations (PR = 1.180; 95% CI 1.019–1.368; p = 0.027).

Elevated CSI scores were therefore associated with a broad post-COVID-19 symptom profile, although longitudinal studies are needed to clarify temporal direction and determine whether these associations persist across different clinical populations. The authors thank the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the CAPES Periodicals Portal for promoting scientific research in Brazil and supporting the scientific publications of Brazilian researchers. This article received economic support of the Program to Support the Dissemination of Scientific and Technological Information (PADICT) from Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES).

Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil Isabela Rezende Ferreira & Júlia Dubois Moreira Department of Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, 8840-970, Brazil Luciana da Conceição Antunes & Júlia Dubois Moreira The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

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To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Ferreira, I.R., da Conceição Antunes, L. & Moreira, J.D. Elevated central sensitization inventory scores are associated with a multidimensional symptom profile after coronavirus disease 2019.