Long COVID in Military Organisations

Covid19 Clinical Trial

— LoCoMo  

Official title:

Long COVID in Military Organisations

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Enrolling by invitation

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04942249
• Other study ID #: 2021-00256
• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Start date: May 20, 2021
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: June 2021
• Source: University of Zurich
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

A prospective, longitudinal cohort study designed to follow-up on 500 Swiss military personnel who tested in 2020 for SARS-CoV-2 (regardless of whether positive or negative, but with a known test result). Participants are invited to undergo an intensive test battery to evaluate if they suffer COVID-19 sequelae. The testing will include evaluation of several body systems (cardio-vascular, pulmonary, neurological, ophthalmological, psychological and general) and male fertility in a voluntary subgroup. Immune markers and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection rates will also be evaluated. The study hypothesis is that SARS-CoV-2 infection causes a multi-system disease with sequelae detectable in a significant proportion of army recruits after infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Description:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many members of the Swiss armed forces (SAF) contracted SARS-CoV-2. Up to one fifth may suffer from long-term sequelae, or so-called "Long COVID". The "LoCoMo" study is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study designed to follow-up on 500 tested recruits who tested either positive or negative while serving in the SAF in early 2020.

The aim of this research project is to evaluate long-term sequelae that may have occurred in members of the armed forces. By following up on those army recruits who tested positive and who were either symptomatic or asymptomatic and comparing them with those who test negative; symptoms and sequelae of the infection and impact on life quality can be tracked. The acquired data will also provide insights into the duration of immunity (or lack thereof) after symptomatic and asymptomatic infection and the kinetics of antibody decline in those who test positive. Furthermore, the study allows to follow-up on those army recruits who have confirmed positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 and to compare them to those who were negative. The data collected with this extensive test battery allows for a follow-up on a wide range of symptoms, estimated rates of re-infection as well as long- term sequelae after infection, including impact on ophthalmological function, on life quality and activities and impact on male fertility.

The results of the study can also be extrapolated to health-care workers and other young adults who constitute the backbone of the workforce. Because the proposed test battery is very broad and comprehensive it may also detect hitherto unknown, long-term sequelae, which might provide insight in the pathophysiology and general understanding of consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection which is the basis to develop strategies to mitigate the sequelae. This study will provide essential knowledge on the multi-organ impact of COVID-19 in young persons in Switzerland.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Enrollment: 500
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: October 31, 2021
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 30 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Army recruits and personnel who tested for SARS-CoV-2.

• Completion of a consent form.

• Willing to participate and to complete the testing day in Zürich.

Additional inclusion criteria solely for the voluntary spermiogram test:

• Male

• No known abnormality of the reproductive system (e.g. Klinefelter-Syndrome)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unwilling to provide consent. Unable to attend the testing day in Zurich.

• A narrow-angle glaucoma or sensitivity to a component of the Tropicamide eye drops is not an exclusion criterion, but the eye examination will be performed without pharmacological mydriasis.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Covid19

Intervention

Other:
• No intervention
No intervention

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Switzerland	Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute at the University of Zurich	Zürich

Sponsors (4)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Zurich	Labor Speiz, Swiss Armed Forces, Universitatsspital Zurich

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Switzerland, 

References & Publications (9)

Azim D, Nasim S, Kumar S, Hussain A, Patel S. Neurological Consequences of 2019-nCoV Infection: A Comprehensive Literature Review. Cureus. 2020 Jun 24;12(6):e8790. doi: 10.7759/cureus.8790. Review. — View Citation

Banerjee D, Viswanath B. Neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 and possible pathogenic mechanisms: Insights from other coronaviruses. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020 Dec;54:102350. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102350. Epub 2020 Aug 12. Review. — View Citation

Barker-Davies RM, O'Sullivan O, Senaratne KPP, Baker P, Cranley M, Dharm-Datta S, Ellis H, Goodall D, Gough M, Lewis S, Norman J, Papadopoulou T, Roscoe D, Sherwood D, Turner P, Walker T, Mistlin A, Phillip R, Nicol AM, Bennett AN, Bahadur S. The Stanford Hall consensus statement for post-COVID-19 rehabilitation. Br J Sports Med. 2020 Aug;54(16):949-959. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102596. Epub 2020 May 31. — View Citation

Battaglini D, Brunetti I, Anania P, Fiaschi P, Zona G, Ball L, Giacobbe DR, Vena A, Bassetti M, Patroniti N, Schenone A, Pelosi P, Rocco PRM, Robba C. Neurological Manifestations of Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Potential Mechanisms and Implications of Individualized Mechanical Ventilation Settings. Front Neurol. 2020 Aug 12;11:845. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00845. eCollection 2020. Review. — View Citation

Bielecki M, Züst R, Siegrist D, Meyerhofer D, Crameri GAG, Stanga Z, Stettbacher A, Buehrer TW, Deuel JW. Social Distancing Alters the Clinical Course of COVID-19 in Young Adults: A Comparative Cohort Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Feb 16;72(4):598-603. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa889. — View Citation

Carfì A, Bernabei R, Landi F; Gemelli Against COVID-19 Post-Acute Care Study Group. Persistent Symptoms in Patients After Acute COVID-19. JAMA. 2020 Aug 11;324(6):603-605. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.12603. — View Citation

Chen L, Deng C, Chen X, Zhang X, Chen B, Yu H, Qin Y, Xiao K, Zhang H, Sun X. Ocular manifestations and clinical characteristics of 535 cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a cross-sectional study. Acta Ophthalmol. 2020 Dec;98(8):e951-e959. doi: 10.1111/aos.14472. Epub 2020 May 18. — View Citation

Del Rio C, Collins LF, Malani P. Long-term Health Consequences of COVID-19. JAMA. 2020 Nov 3;324(17):1723-1724. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.19719. — View Citation

Disser NP, De Micheli AJ, Schonk MM, Konnaris MA, Piacentini AN, Edon DL, Toresdahl BG, Rodeo SA, Casey EK, Mendias CL. Musculoskeletal Consequences of COVID-19. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2020 Jul 15;102(14):1197-1204. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.20.00847. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	to longitudinally follow-up on a cohort of 500 military who tested either positive or negative for SARS-CoV-2 in early 2020 for possible sequelae, one year post infection	The primary endpoint is the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infection sequelae in a longitudinally follow-up cohort of a total of 500 military who tested either positive or negative for SARS-CoV-2 in early 2020.	One year
Secondary	Outcomes from components of the test battery	The test battery will detect anticipated sequelae in the following categories: general systemic, pulmonary, cardiac, male fertility, psychological, ophthalmological.	One year