%0 Journal Article %1 RN2078 %A Kraus, Tanja %A Napierala, Hendrik %A Schrimpf, Anne %A Joos, Stefanie %A Blaschke, Sabine %A Hanses, Frank %A Vehreschild, Maria J. G. T. %A Hamelmann, Eckard %A Schmidt, Jeremy %A Scheer, Christian S. %A Römmele, Christoph %A Göpel, Siri %A Almahfoud, Maher %A Dahl, Edgar %A Hamprecht, Axel %A Kaasch, Achim J. %A Wendel, Julia %A Ole Jensen, Björn-Erik %A Tepasse, Phil-Robin %A Dashti, Hiwa %A Vehreschild, J. Janne %A Scherer, Margarete %A Bröhl, Isabel %A Raquib, Shimita %A Nürnberger, Carolin %A Reese, Jens-Peter %A Appel, Katharina S. %A Krefting, Dagmar %A Förster, Christian %D 2026 %J Mayo Clinic Proceedings %K affiliation:ikeb myown affiliation:imds from:nuernbergerc author:schmidtj author:reesejp project:suep author:nuernbergerc project:nukleusecu %R https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2026.02.018 %T Impact of COVID-19 vaccination on post-COVID syndrome across clinical definitions and phenotypes: a prospective multicenter cohort study %U https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025619626184298 %X Objectives To assess the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on distinct clinical definitions and phenotypes of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) and identify risk factors for PCS despite vaccination. Methods Data were drawn from the German National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON), including adult COVID-19 patients with known vaccination status recruited between December 2, 2020, and February 13, 2023. PCS prevalence was assessed using 3 clinical definitions: the broad WHO definition (any sequelae at 3 months), symptom clusters (Fatigue, Respiratory, Cognitive), and a symptom-based PCS score reflecting clinical severity. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to estimate the protective effect of vaccination. Results Among 756 patients, 26% were fully vaccinated (≥2 doses) before infection. Vaccination was associated with a significantly reduced risk of PCS according to the WHO definition (OR 0.555, 95% CI 0.339–0.906), the PCS score (OR 0.536, 95% CI 0.335–0.856), the Respiratory Cluster (OR 0.508, 95% CI 0.295–0.875), and the Cognitive Cluster (OR 0.443, 95% CI 0.213–0.923). In contrast, no protective association was observed for the Fatigue Cluster (OR 0.917, 95% CI 0.554–1.519). The favorable association with vaccination was particularly observed in patients with mild acute symptoms, regardless of hospitalization. The protective effect of vaccination persisted at 12-month follow-up, although fatigue remained unaffected. Conclusion Findings indicate that broader PCS definitions may mask clinically relevant heterogeneity and support the need for differentiated, phenotype-oriented definitions that reflect clinical presentations of PCS, including differential responses to vaccination. Such refined clinical definitions may facilitate exploration of whether these phenotypes reflect distinct underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.

@article{RN2078, abstract = {Objectives To assess the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on distinct clinical definitions and phenotypes of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) and identify risk factors for PCS despite vaccination. Methods Data were drawn from the German National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON), including adult COVID-19 patients with known vaccination status recruited between December 2, 2020, and February 13, 2023. PCS prevalence was assessed using 3 clinical definitions: the broad WHO definition (any sequelae at 3 months), symptom clusters (Fatigue, Respiratory, Cognitive), and a symptom-based PCS score reflecting clinical severity. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to estimate the protective effect of vaccination. Results Among 756 patients, 26% were fully vaccinated (≥2 doses) before infection. Vaccination was associated with a significantly reduced risk of PCS according to the WHO definition (OR 0.555, 95% CI 0.339–0.906), the PCS score (OR 0.536, 95% CI 0.335–0.856), the Respiratory Cluster (OR 0.508, 95% CI 0.295–0.875), and the Cognitive Cluster (OR 0.443, 95% CI 0.213–0.923). In contrast, no protective association was observed for the Fatigue Cluster (OR 0.917, 95% CI 0.554–1.519). The favorable association with vaccination was particularly observed in patients with mild acute symptoms, regardless of hospitalization. The protective effect of vaccination persisted at 12-month follow-up, although fatigue remained unaffected. Conclusion Findings indicate that broader PCS definitions may mask clinically relevant heterogeneity and support the need for differentiated, phenotype-oriented definitions that reflect clinical presentations of PCS, including differential responses to vaccination. Such refined clinical definitions may facilitate exploration of whether these phenotypes reflect distinct underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.}, added-at = {2026-04-08T14:42:51.000+0200}, author = {Kraus, Tanja and Napierala, Hendrik and Schrimpf, Anne and Joos, Stefanie and Blaschke, Sabine and Hanses, Frank and Vehreschild, Maria J. G. T. and Hamelmann, Eckard and Schmidt, Jeremy and Scheer, Christian S. and Römmele, Christoph and Göpel, Siri and Almahfoud, Maher and Dahl, Edgar and Hamprecht, Axel and Kaasch, Achim J. and Wendel, Julia and Ole Jensen, Björn-Erik and Tepasse, Phil-Robin and Dashti, Hiwa and Vehreschild, J. Janne and Scherer, Margarete and Bröhl, Isabel and Raquib, Shimita and Nürnberger, Carolin and Reese, Jens-Peter and Appel, Katharina S. and Krefting, Dagmar and Förster, Christian}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/29090e175bd8f69a69a5bbf9b8878d8e2/ike-b_uniwue}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2026.02.018}, interhash = {1106641edcb6600263fffe9fd44f5df4}, intrahash = {9090e175bd8f69a69a5bbf9b8878d8e2}, issn = {0025-6196}, journal = {Mayo Clinic Proceedings}, keywords = {affiliation:ikeb myown affiliation:imds from:nuernbergerc author:schmidtj author:reesejp project:suep author:nuernbergerc project:nukleusecu}, timestamp = {2026-04-08T14:42:51.000+0200}, title = {Impact of COVID-19 vaccination on post-COVID syndrome across clinical definitions and phenotypes: a prospective multicenter cohort study}, type = {Journal Article}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025619626184298}, year = 2026 }