Identifying Profiles and Symptoms of Patients With Long COVID in France: Data Mining Infodemiology Study Based on Social Media

• DOI: 10.2196/39849
• Publication Date: 2022-10-01T19:38:05Z
• Authors: Amélia Déguilhem; Joelle Malaab; Manissa Talmatkadi; Simon Renner; Pierre Foulquié; Guy Fagherazzi; Paul Loussikian; Tom Marty; Adel Mebarki; Nathalie Texier; Stephane Schuck
• Keywords: Original Paper; Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics; R858-859.7; 3. Good health

Long COVID-a condition with persistent symptoms post COVID-19 infection-is the first illness arising from social media. In France, French hashtag #ApresJ20 described persisting longer than 20 days after contracting COVID-19. Faced a lack of recognition medical and official entities, patients formed communities on media their as long-lasting, fluctuating, multisystemic. While many studies long COVID relied traditional research methods lengthy processes, offers foundation for large-scale fast-flowing outburst data.We aimed to identify analyze Haulers' main reported symptoms, symptom co-occurrences, topics discussion, difficulties encountered, patient profiles.Data were extracted based list pertinent keywords public sites (eg, Twitter) health-related forums Doctissimo). Reported identified via MedDRA dictionary, displayed per volume posts mentioning them, aggregated at user level. Associations assessed by computing co-occurrences in users' messages, pairs preferred terms. Discussion analyzed using Biterm Topic Modeling; unmet needs explored manually. To profiles relation each term's total was used create user-level hierarchal clusters.Between January 1, 2020, August 10, 2021, overall, 15,364 messages originating 6494 or caregivers. Our analyses revealed 3 major co-occurrences: asthenia-dyspnea (102/289, 35.3%), asthenia-anxiety (65/289, 22.5%), asthenia-headaches (50/289, 17.3%). The management (150/424, 35.4% messages), psychological impact (64/424,15.1%), significant pain (51/424, 12.0%), deterioration general well-being (52/424, 12.3%), daily professional life (40/424, 9.4% 34/424, 8.0% respectively). We symptoms: profile A (n=406 patients) exclusively an asthenia symptom; B (n=129) expressed anxiety (n=129, 100%), (n=28, 21.7%), dyspnea (n=15, 11.6%), ageusia (n=3, 2.3%); C (n=141) (n=141, (n=45, 31.9%). Approximately 49.1% users (79/161) continued expressing more months infection, 20.5% (33/161) 1 year.Long is lingering that affects people worldwide, physically psychologically. It impacts quality life, everyday tasks, activities. Social played undeniable role raising delivering voices can potentially rapidly provide large volumes valuable patient-reported information. Since self-titled themselves media, it imperative continuously include perspectives related research. results help design patient-centric instruments be further clinical practice better capture meaningful dimensions COVID.