Long- COVID and General Health Status in Hospitalized COVID-19 Survivors: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: Despite advances in clinical research, the long-term effects of COVID-19 on patients are not clear. Many studies revealed persistent long-term signs and symptoms after recovery that continue for more than months after infection with SARS-CoV-2 and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis. Methods: In a prospective cohort study,259 hospitalized patients between 18 to 59 years, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection by molecular RT-PCR were interviewed. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and complaints were studied by telephone interviews. Any patient-reported symptoms that continued or developed from 4 weeks up to 12 weeks after the onset of the COVID-19 were recorded only if they did not exist prior to infection. The 12-Item General Health Questionnaire was used for screening and assessing mental symptoms and psychosocial well-being. Analyses were done using Excel and STATA SE software v13.1. Results: The mean age of participants was 43.8 ± 9.9 years, the mean length of hospital stay was 4.4 ± 4 days, and 58.3% were women. About 37% had at least one underlying disease, The most common comorbidities were diabetes mellitus in 38.1%, hypertension in 32%, and hypothyroidism in 13.4%. 92.5 % showed ongoing symptoms that the most prevalent complications were hair loss (61.4%), fatigue (54.1%), shortness of breath (40.2%), altered smell (34.4%), aggression (34.4%), memory impairment (29 %), and depression (25.1%), respectively. The mean total score based on GHQ-12 was 1.53 ± 2.66 in the range of 0 and 12. In terms of factors affecting patients' complaints, there were significant differences between gender and underlying disease (ρ <0.0001 and ρ = 0.005, respectively). Conclusion: This study shows a high rate of long COVID conditions in patients which should be considered by physicians, policymakers, and managers.