ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.

Sec. Neuroinfectious Diseases

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1532046

Risk factors for 1-year peripheral neuropathy and F-wave abnormalities after COVID-19: A prospective cohort study

Provisionally accepted
Qian YangQian Yang1Yingying ChangYingying Chang2Yinuo ZhaoYinuo Zhao3Yanhui LaiYanhui Lai4Xuzhao LiuXuzhao Liu5Ying XiaoYing Xiao6Na LiNa Li4Shuhua CuiShuhua Cui4Zhibo WangZhibo Wang4Ling CuiLing Cui4Yubin ZhaoYubin Zhao4*
  • 1Haikou Fourth People’s Hospital, Haikou, China
  • 2Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
  • 3School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
  • 4Shijiazhuang People’s Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
  • 5North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, Hebei Province, China
  • 6Shijiazhuang University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China

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Objective: To explore the risk factors for peripheral neuropathy (PNP) and F-wave abnormality during one-year rehabilitation for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods: This prospective cohort study included patients with COVID-19 who were discharged from Shijiazhuang People’s Hospital after treatment and routine rehabilitation between December 2020 and April 2021. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the independent risk factors for PNP and F-wave abnormality. P-values <0.0125 were considered significant in the multivariable analyses to account for type I error.Results: A total of 313 patients with COVID-19 [aged 49.0 (IQR 33.0-58.0) years, and 191 (61.0%) females] were included. During one-year follow-up, 232 (74%) patients developed PNP (PNP group), and 81 (26%) did not (non-PNP group). In the PNP group, 51 (16%) patients had mononeuropathy, and 181 (58%) had polyneuropathy. Additionally, F-wave abnormality was detected in 22 (7%) out of 313 patients. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, confidence interval (CI): 1.05-1.41, P = 0.009] was independently associated with PNP. College or higher education (OR=5.07, 95% CI: 1.80-13.90, P = 0.002) was independently associated with mononeuropathy. Conclusion: Age might be an independent risk factor for PNP, while higher education was associated with mononeuropathy.

Keywords: COVID-19, peripheral neuropathy, Mononeuropathy, F-wave abnormality, Risk factors

Received: 21 Nov 2024; Accepted: 06 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Chang, Zhao, Lai, Liu, Xiao, Li, Cui, Wang, Cui and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Yubin Zhao, Shijiazhuang People’s Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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