Clinical and Epidemiological Profiles of Primary Healthcare Professionals with COVID-19 Infection and Long COVID: An Observational Study

Abstract

Health professionals have been one of the groups most affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Currently, there is little scientific evidence on the similarities and differences between COVID-19 infection and the development of long COVID in primary care (PC) workers. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse their clinical and epidemiological profiles in depth. This study was observational and descriptive, including PC professionals who were divided into three comparison groups based on the diagnostic test for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. The responses were analysed using descriptive and bivariate analysis to examinate the relationship between independent variables and the presence or not of long COVID. Binary logistic regression analysis was also conducted, with each symptom as the dependent variable and each group as the independent variable. The results describe the sociodemographic characteristics of these population groups, revealing that women in the health sector are the most affected by long COVID and that being in this group is associated with its development. Furthermore, individuals with long COVID exhibited the highest number of symptoms and pathologies. Certain symptoms were found to be associated with long COVID development in this population, including an altered sense of smell, pneumonia, fever, and sore throat, among others. Similarly, altered senses of smell and taste, chest tightness, and joint pain, among others, were found to be associated with acute COVID-19 infection. Additionally, patients with pre-existing overweight or obesity were more likely to experience acute COVID-19 and develop long COVID. The data obtained can be crucial for improving the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of long COVID patients, ultimately leading to an enhancement in their quality of life.

Relationship between the structure, function and endothelial damage, and vascular ageing and the biopsychological situation in adults diagnosed with persistent COVID (BioICOPER study). A research protocol of a cross-sectional study

“…Due to this variability, the absence of a standardised definition and the lack of gathered data, no reliable prevalence data are available. Similarly, the symptoms are very heterogeneous, affecting the multiple organs and systems ( Stein et al, 2022 ; Romero-Rodríguez et al, 2023 ; Zeng et al, 2023 ). Although up to 203 symptoms have been identified ( Abrignani et al, 2022 ), the most common symptoms are: fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain, muscle pain, anxiety, headache with reduced functional capacity, and affectation of the quality of life ( Stein et al, 2022 ; Romero-Rodríguez et al, 2023 ; Zeng et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Similarly, the symptoms are very heterogeneous, affecting the multiple organs and systems ( Stein et al, 2022 ; Romero-Rodríguez et al, 2023 ; Zeng et al, 2023 ). Although up to 203 symptoms have been identified ( Abrignani et al, 2022 ), the most common symptoms are: fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain, muscle pain, anxiety, headache with reduced functional capacity, and affectation of the quality of life ( Stein et al, 2022 ; Romero-Rodríguez et al, 2023 ; Zeng et al, 2023 ). It has been reported that these symptoms, after the acute phase, decrease during the first month, although then they tend to stabilise and, over time, the physical symptoms improve, but not the neuropsychiatric symptoms, which show greater prevalence in the long term ( Alkodaymi et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Persistent COVID is a multi-systemic affectation, presenting in a wide variety of manifestations, where up to 203 symptoms have been identified ( Abrignani et al, 2022 ), including fatigue, post-effort discomfort, dyspnea, chest pain, cognitive deterioration, sleep disorders, anxiety and depression, muscle pain, brain fog, difficulty in concentrating, mental confusion, anosmia/dysgeusia, headache with limitation of the functional capacity, and deterioration of the quality of life ( Stein et al, 2022 ; Romero-Rodríguez et al, 2023 ; Zeng et al, 2023 ). According to a recent meta-analysis, people with persistent COVID show a decrease of the initial symptoms (from 92% in the acute phase to 55% at one month of follow-up), followed by stabilisation of approximately 50% for one year.…”