Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients Recovered From COVID-19

Abstract

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted the lives and well-being of individuals worldwide, affecting both short-term and long-term quality of life. This study aimed to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and associated factors among patients who have recovered from COVID-19. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at 2 hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam between January and March 2022. Data were obtained from patients who recovered from COVID-19 using a structured questionnaire which included the EuroQoL-5 Dimension-5 Level (EQ-5D-5L) scale to quantify problems in 5 health dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression) and the EuroQoL-Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) to determine self-rated health status. Factors associated with HRQoL were determined using a generalized linear model (GLM). A total of 325 participants were included in the analysis. The overall mean score from the EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS was 0.86 (SD 0.21) and 78.6 (SD 19.9), respectively. Anxiety/Depression and Pain/Discomfort were the major problems experienced by the participants. Lower HRQoL scores were reported among those who were 60 years and older, female, had comorbidities, persistent symptoms, living alone and experiencing stress (all P < .05). This study showed that there was a significant reduction in HRQoL among individuals who recovered from COVID-19, compared with the general population. The findings suggest that more interventions need to be implemented to increase such individuals’ quality of life, particularly for those who exhibit high-risk factors such as females, those with comorbidities, persistent symptoms, living alone and experiencing from stress.

Impact of Long COVID on Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients After Acute COVID-19 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This study also analyzed the EQ-5D-5L for each dimension, and the proportions of people with problems with pain (33.64% vs 8.59%) and anxiety (39.25% vs 23.31%) were significantly higher in the long-COVID group than in the non-long-COVID group. Huynh et al 38 obtained the same result as this study. Pain is a common symptom following acute COVID-19, having a negative impact on HRQoL and increasing the incidence of anxiety.…”

Mental health, health-related quality of life, and lung function after hospital discharge in healthcare workers with severe COVID-19: a cohort study from China

“…Regarding the health-related quality of life, on Day 158.0 (146.0, 184.0) after discharge, this study found that HCWs with severe COVID-19 with comorbidities had lower scores in bodily pain than those without. This was consistent with findings of Huynh et al (2022) where the scores of quality of life in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities were higher than those without. We did not observe significant associations between sex and scores of SF-36.…”

Quality of Life 6 Months after COVID-19 Hospitalisation: A Single-Centre Polish Registry

“…The EQ-5D-5L questionnaire was also used in Giao et al’s study, with the addition of the EuroQoL-Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) score to determine self-assessed health status. Lower scores were reported among those aged 60 years and older, women, those with comorbidities, those with persistent symptoms, those who were living alone and those who were experiencing stress (all p < 0.001) [ 31 ]. Ayuso Garcia et al also used the EQ-5D in combination with the EQ-VAS and EQ-Health.…”