Baseline characteristics in the Remote Diet Intervention to REduce long-COVID Symptoms Trial (ReDIRECT)

Haag, L. et al. (2024) Baseline characteristics in the Remote Diet Intervention to REduce long-COVID Symptoms Trial (ReDIRECT). NIHR Open Research, 4, 7. (doi: 10.3310/nihropenres.13522.1)

Abstract

Background: The persistence of symptoms for ≥12 weeks after a COVID-19 infection is known as Long COVID (LC), a condition with unclear pathophysiology and no proven treatments to date. Living with obesity is a risk factor for LC and has symptoms which may overlap with and aggravate LC. Methods: ReDIRECT is a remotely delivered trial assessing whether weight management can reduce LC symptoms. We recruited people with LC and BMI >27kg/m2. The intervention was delivered remotely by dietitians, with online data collection (medical and dietary history, COVID-19 infection and vaccination, body composition, LC history/symptoms, blood pressure, quality of life, sociodemographic data). Participants self-selected the dominant LC symptoms they most wanted to improve from the intervention. Results: Participants (n=234) in England (64%) and Scotland (30%) were mainly women (85%) of white ethnicity (90%), with 13% living in the 20% most deprived areas, a mean age of 46 (SD10) years, and median BMI of 35kg/m2 (IQR 32-40). Before starting the study, 30% reported more than one COVID-19 infection (82% confirmed with one or more positive tests). LC Diagnosis was mainly by GPs (71%), other healthcare professionals (9%), or self-diagnosed (21%). The median total number of symptoms was 6 (IQR 4–8). Self-selected dominant LC symptoms included fatigue (54%), breathlessness (16%), pain (12%), anxiety/depression (1%) and "other" (17%). At baseline, 82% were taking medication, 57% reported 1+ other medical conditions. Quality of life was poor; 20% were on long-term sick leave or reduced working hours. Most (92%) reported having gained weight since contracting COVID-19 (median weight change +11.5 kg, range -11.5 to +45.3 kg). Conclusions: Symptoms linked to LC and overweight are diverse and complex. Remote trial delivery enabled rapid recruitment across the UK yet certain groups (e.g. men and those from ethnic minority groups) were under-represented. Trial registration: ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN12595520, 25/11/2021).

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review. This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its ‘Long COVID Programme’ (Grant Reference Number COV-LT2-0059).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: No
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Blane, Dr David and McConnachie, Professor Alex and Brosnahan, Dr Naomi and Cunningham, Dr Yvonne and Lean, Professor Michael and Richardson, Mrs Janice and Combet Aspray, Professor Emilie and Ibbotson, Dr Tracy and Haag, Ms Laura and Haig, Dr Caroline and McIntosh, Professor Emma and Sattar, Professor Naveed and O'Donnell, Professor Kate and Fraser, Miss Heather
• Authors: Haag, L., Richardson, J., Haig, C., Cunningham, Y., Fraser, H., Brosnahan, N., Ibbotson, T., Omerod, J., White, C., McIntosh, E., O'Donnell, K., Sattar, N., McConnachie, A., Lean, M., Blane, D., and Combet, E.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > General Practice and Primary Care; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Robertson Centre; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: NIHR Open Research
• Journal Abbr.: NIHR Open Res
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISSN: 2633-4402
• Published Online: 05 March 2024
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2024 Haag L et al.
• First Published: First published in NIHR Open Research 4:7
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
315071		REDIRECT: REmote Diet Intervention to REduce long Covid symptoms Trial	David Blane	National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)	COV-LT2-0059	SHW - Health Economics & Health Technology Assessment