An observational study in Acute and Long Term Effects of COVID-19 on Systemic Inflammation, Acute and Long Term Effects of COVID-19 on Lung Function and Acute and Long Term Effects of COVID-19 on Cardiac Function, sponsored by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC). Completed at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-28.
Sponsored by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) · Observational
Background:
COVID-19 virus infection differs among people. Some people have no or mild symptoms. For others, COVID-19 is life threatening and causes damage to the body s organs. Researchers want to better understand the virus to learn how to kill it.
Objective:
To understand how the COVID-19 virus causes wide differences in how sick one can become from the infection.
Eligibility:
People ages 18-80 with COVID-19 infection
Design:
Participants will be screened with a review of their medical records.
Participants who enter the study at the beginning of their COVID-19 infection will stay in the hospital until they are healthy enough to go home. Those who enter after they have recovered may need to stay in the hospital 1-2 nights to perform the study tests.
Participants will have MRI and CT scans of the brain, heart, and lungs. They will lie in a machine that takes pictures of the body. For the MRI, soft padding or a coil will be placed around their head and chest. They may receive a dye injected into a vein.
Participants will have an ultrasound of the kidneys and heart.
Participants will provide blood and urine samples. They will provide nasal swabs.
Participants will have a bronchoscopy. A thin tube will be placed through the nose or mouth into the airway. Saltwater will be squirted into the lungs and removed by suction.
Participants may provide a spinal fluid sample. A needle injected into the spinal canal will obtain fluid.
Participants will have lung and heart function tests.
At various points after recovery, participants will repeat many of these tests.
...
Study Description: This protocol will enroll patients within a 50 mile radius of Bethesda, Maryland, to the Clinical Center in a longitudinal study using granular clinical observations including pulmonary and cardiac functional assessments, comprehensive immunologic evaluations, and innovative imaging. Sequential analysis of blood, bronchoalveolar lavage, and spinal fluid, with simultaneous serial imaging can provide insights into mechanisms associated with the initiation, progression and resolution of organ dysfunction and systemic inflammation due to COVID-19 infection.
Objectives:
Primary objective:
To link inflammatory responses present in blood, bronchoalveolar lavage, spinal fluid, and with imaging of COVID-19 target organs (lungs, heart and brain) during the earliest stages of infection and at subsequent time points as the infection and host responses evolve, through recovery.
Secondary objectives
Assess the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection on immunologic, neurologic, cardiac and pulmonary function
Endpoints:
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) is the lead sponsor of 367 studies on the registry; 27 are open to participants now.
Of its 22 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 18 (82%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
men or women, 18 - 80 years of age, a) within 1- 28 days (+/- 7 days) of documented COVID-19 infection for acute care (n=150) with subsequent follow-up during recovery (28 +/- 7 days to 12 weeks) and then during convalescence (Week 13 to 12 months - year 1), year 2 convalesecent phase and year 3 convalesecent phase. Each Phase visit can be done out of window as per PI discretion. OR b) if care for acute COVID-19 infections was given at an outside site, participants would be evaluated during recovery (28 +/- 7 days to 12 weeks, during convalescence (Week 13 to 12 months - year 1), year 2 - convalesecent phase and year 3 - convalesecent phase) Each Phase visit can be done out of window as per PI discretion.
In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:
Subjects within 1-28 days of documented COVID-19 infection for acute care:
Male or female, aged 18 to 80 years
provided at the CC would present a disadvantage to them to have their acute care provided for in the CC.
Subjects during recovery phase of the acute illness (day 28 +/- 7 days to 12 weeks) and convalescent phase (Week 13 up to 12 months), Year 2 convalescent phase (13 24 months), Year 3 convalescent phase (25 36 months) after recovery if care has been received at a facility outside of NIH:
EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
Serious mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia, manic depression) that would limit the ability of the participant to participate willingly into the study.
-- The conduct of the study requires participation in studies that may be unduly stressful (e.g. MRI, bronchoscopy).
COVID-19 subjects treated at the Clinical Center, followed through recovery and into convalescence
COVID-19 subjects who were treated at other hospitals, followed through recovery and into convalescence
Inflammatory responses of cells in lung and circulation
Link inflammatory responses present in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage with imaging of COVID-19 target organs (lungs, heart, brain ) during the earliest stages of infection and at subsequent time points as the infection and host responses evolve, through recovery.
Time frame: From onset of illness in hospital through acute phase ( days 1 28 more or less 7
Plan to share: Undecided — The protocol is silent about Individual Participant Data (IPD) sharing.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)