Latent transition analysis for longitudinal studies of post-acute infection syndromes
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Post-Acute Infectious Syndromes (PAIS) refer to the symptoms persisting months after initial infection. Clinical research studies on this topic often collect rich, multi-modal datasets. Yet, the complexity of the datasets and the lack of a precise clinical case definition pose difficulties in creating comprehensive analyses. Here, we present a generalisable framework for analysing data from longitudinal studies of PAIS using Latent Transition Analysis (LTA). It enables the identification of disease phenotypes and the patient-level analysis of transitions between them, without relying on predefined clinical categorisations. Furthermore, we introduce a method for incorporating covariate information, which enables exploration of how patient characteristics influence disease trajectories. We apply this methodology to the ORCHESTRA dataset, composed of individuals affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection from multiple European centres, for investigation into Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC). 5094 patient assessments were collected at SARS-CoV-2 infection, and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of follow-up. Our model identifies distinct PCC phenotypes with patient trajectories impacted by age and sex. Our results highlight how LTA can enhance the interpretability of complex, time-resolved clinical data, support personalized patient monitoring and management, and accelerate therapeutic development for other PAISs, too.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Roy Gusinow, Anna Górska, Lorenzo Maria Canziani, Iris Lopes-Rafegas, Carolina Alvarez Garavito, Adriana Tami, Elisa Gentilotti, Elisa Sicuri, Cédric Laouénan, Jade Ghosn, Aline-Marie Florence, Nadhem Lahfej, Fulvia Mazzaferri, Lidia Del Piccolo, Maddalena Giannella, Alice Toschi, Michela Di Chiara, Maria Giulia Caponcello, Zaira R. Palacios-Baena, Karin I. Wold, Elisa Rossi, Evelina Tacconelli, Jan Hasenauer, On behalf of the ORCHESTRA study group, Elena Addis, Maddalena Armellini, Anna Maria Azzini, Benedetta Barana, Lucia Bonato, Elena Carrara, Alessandro Castelli, Filippo Cioli Puviani, Michela Conti, Raffaella Cordioli, Carmine Cutone, Ruth Joanna Davis, Pasquale De Nardo, Miriam Emiliani, Alessio Esposito, Daniele Fasan, Giada Fasani, Giorgia Franchina, Jacopo Garlasco, Enrico Gibbin, Salvatore Hermes Dall’O’, Chiara Konishi De Toffoli, Lorenza Lambertenghi, Federico Lattanzi, Andrea Leonardi, Francesco Luca, Gaia Maccarrone, Massimo Mirandola, Matteo Morra, Alessandra Nazeri, Matilde Rocchi, Giulia Rosini, Chiara Perlini, Maria Diletta Pezzani, Laura Rovigo, Anna Giulia Salvadori, Andrea Sartori, Alessia Savoldi, Rebecca Scardellato, Marcella Sibani, Erica Sodano, Simona Sorbello, Lorenzo Tavernaro, Giorgia Tomassini, Alessandro Visentin, Stefania Vitali, Andrea Volpe, Chiara Zanchi, Gloria Mazzali, Giovanni Stabile, Gianluca Vantini, Riccardo Cecchetto, Davide Gibellini, Nicolò Cardobi, Debora Calì, Maria Paola Cecchini, Maddalena Marcanti, Anna Mason, Salvatore Monaco, Marco Pattaro Zonta, Cinzia Perlini, Gianluigi Zanusso, Elda Righi, Mariana Nunes Pinho Guedes, Maria Mongardi, Concetta Sciammarella, Claudio Micheletto, Paolo Gisondi, Natascia Caroccia, Cecilia Bonazzetti, Beatrice Tazza, Zeno Igor Adrien Pasquini, Domenico Marzolla, Giacomo Fornaro, Fabio Trapani, Lorenzo Marconi, Luciano Attard, Sara Tedeschi, Silvia Vituliano, Liliana Gabrielli, Tiziana Lazzarotto, Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS), Jesús Rodrguez-Baño, Mara Isabel Garcia Sánchez, Ana Belén Hidalgo Céspedes, Aurora Aleman Rodriguez, Lola Cubero Aranda, Paula Olivares Navarro, Sandra De la Rosa Riestra, José M. Bravo-Ferrero, Gerolf de Boer, Bernardina T. F. van der Gun, Mara F. Vincenti-González, Alida C. M. Veloo, Daniele Pantano, Margriet van der Meer, Lilli Gard, Erley F. Lizarazo, Marjolein Knoester, Alex W. Friedrich, Hubert G. M. Niesters, CINECA, Salvatore Cataudella, Chiara Dellacasa, Manuel Huth, Clemens Peiter
Institutions: University of Bonn, University of Verona, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Universitat de Barcelona, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Manhiça Health Research Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, Inserm, Université Paris Cité, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard, Infection, Anti-microbiens, Modélisation, Evolution, IRCCS Azienda Ospedliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico di Sant'Orsola, University of Bologna, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Infecciosas, Universidad de Sevilla, Cineca, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Hospital de São João, University of Parma, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona, Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
OpenAlex ID: W7128472486