Persistent COVID-19 symptoms at least one month after diagnosis: A national survey

Tleyjeh, Imad M.; Kashour, Tarek; Riaz, Muhammad; Amer, Samar A.; AlSwaidan, Nourah; Almotairi, Leila; Halwani, Rabih; Assiri, Abdullah

doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2022.04.006

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Analysis of even mild cases with COVID‐19 3 months after infection showed a high prevalence of fatigue, with 54.4% of women and 30.2% of men suffering from this syndrome (Maamar et al., 2022 ). In a national Saudi Arabian survey, with nearly 6000 respondents of whom 90% did not require hospitalization for COVID‐19, it was shown that female sex predicted a delayed return to the pre‐COVID health state (Tleyjeh et al., 2022 ). A Missouri cross‐sectional study showed that 43.3% of patients suffered from fatigue between 4 weeks and 6 months after the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, with women experiencing significantly higher fatigue scores compared to men (Khatib et al., 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatigue after COVID‐19 in non‐hospitalized patients according to sex

et al. 2023

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Background Limited evidence exists on sex differences in post‐COVID fatigue among non‐hospitalized patients. Therefore, aim of the study was to evaluate the course of chronic fatigue symptoms in non‐hospitalized subjects with the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, according to sex. Methods Patients and staff from the University Hospital in Krakow anonymously and retrospectively completed neuropsychological questionnaire that included eight symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. The presence of these symptoms was assessed before COVID‐19 and 0–4, 4–12, and >12 weeks postinfection. The inclusion criteria were as follows: age 18 or more years, >12 weeks since the onset of the SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, and diagnosis confirmed by the RT‐PCR from anasopharyngeal swab. Results We included 303 patients (79.53% women, 47.52% medical personnel) assessed retrospectively after a median of 30 (interquartile range: 23–35) weeks since the onset of symptoms. A higher prevalence of at least one chronic fatigue symptom was found in females in all time intervals after the onset of COVID‐19 compared to males (p < .036). Women, compared to men, more often experienced persistent fatigue, not caused by effort and persisting after rest (for <4 weeks, odds ratio [OR] = 2.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–4.73; for 4–12 weeks, OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.06–3.61), non‐restorative sleep (for <4 weeks, OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.23–3.81; for >12 weeks, OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.03–3.71), and sore throat (for <4 weeks, OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.03–3.78; for 4–12 weeks, OR = 2.76, 95% CI: 1.05–7.27). Sex differences in headache, arthralgia, and prolonged postexercise fatigue were observed only during the first 4 weeks (OR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.45–4.60, OR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.02–8.64, and OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.01–3.51, respectively). There were no differences between women and men in myalgia and self‐reported lymph node enlargement. Conclusions The course of post‐COVID fatigue differs significantly between sexes in non‐hospitalized individuals with COVID‐19, with women more often suffering from persistent fatigue, not caused by effort and persisting after rest, non‐restorative sleep, and sore throat.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatigue after COVID‐19 in non‐hospitalized patients according to sex

et al. 2023

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“…As regards CFS, because viral infections have been connected to CFS [ 41 ], we used the eight-item CFS questionnaire to investigate the nature of exhaustion in the PCCs and reported abnormal CFSs being reported among 11.4%, which is significantly lower than the reported frequency among other different studies to be (SA, December 2021) 38.4% for at least 4 weeks [ 20 , 42 ]. On the other hand, 25 of 29 CFS symptoms were reported by at least one COVID-19 study in a recent meta-analysis that addressed CFS symptoms in COVID-19 disease and included 21 studies [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our research supports the WHO and the global initiatives that started over the past year and focused on the three “Rs”: recognition, research, and rehabilitation to advance the understanding of the post-COVID-19 condition in children and young people, which was launched on 17 August 2022. KSA research was limited to adults, a single setting, and exclusively hospitalized patients [ 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A National Survey of Children, Adults, and the Elderly in the Fourth Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic to Compare Acute and Post-COVID-19 Conditions in Saudi Arabia

Alsagheir

Amer

Alzubaidi

et al. 2023

JCM

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Background: The fight against COVID-19 appears to extend beyond screening and treatment of acute diseases to its medium- and long-term health consequences. Little is known about the epidemiology and the determinants of developing post-COVID-19 conditions (PCCs) among children. The aims of this study were to explore and determine the prevalence of PCCs among three age groups (children and adolescents, adults, and the elderly), and study the predictors of participants’ return to their pre-COVID-19 health status among COVID-19 patients at least four weeks after they got sick, from February to 15 July 2022. Methods: This comparison survey study targeted 12,121 COVID-19 patients who fulfilled the selection criteria from the national register system and received a virtual assessment from the Medical Consultation Call Center (937), which was conducted by a well-trained family physician using a validated, well-structured assessment tool. The collected data were coded and analyzed using appropriate tests. Results: Out of the 12,121 recovered COVID-19 patients who received the virtual assessment calls, only 5909 (48.8%) agreed and completed the assessment. The majority of participants (4973, or 84.2%) reported no PCCs. The most common PCCs among young people were a cough, dyspnea, fatigue, and loss of appetite or weight loss, while among the elderly they were a cough, dyspnea, fatigue, stomachaches, poor concentration, sleep disturbance, and recurrent fever. Most post-COVID-19 cases require nothing more than reassurance and health education as only 384 (6.5%) required referral to primary health care centers (PHCCs.) The severity of COVID-19 infection, age group, sex, vaccination status, and body mass index were significant predictors for returning to the pre-infection health status and the required referral was significantly related to many factors. Conclusions: The comparison of children, adults, and the elderly with regard to the acute and post-COVID-19 conditions in Saudi Arabia in terms of the clinical health assessment and the required management plans showed significant differences.

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“…Extracting data from the electronic health records of 26,117 post-COVID-19 individuals, the authors found that arthralgia was one of the most common symptoms in the cohort, having a frequency of 21%. Additionally, 4 studies evaluating data from 7058 patients reported a prevalence between 30% and 39% [31,48,55,63]. Estimates of 40% or above were described in 7 studies on 1748 post-COVID-19 individuals [26,29,33,39,53,57,65].…”

Section: Joint Pain In Post-covid-19 Patientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Acute COVID-19 Joint Pain and New Onset of Rheumatic Musculoskeletal Diseases: A Systematic Review

et al. 2023

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As the number of reports of post-acute COVID-19 musculoskeletal manifestations is rapidly rising, it is important to summarize the current available literature in order to shed light on this new and not fully understood phenomenon. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review to provide an updated picture of post-acute COVID-19 musculoskeletal manifestations of potential rheumatological interest, with a particular focus on joint pain, new onset of rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases and presence of autoantibodies related to inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies. We included 54 original papers in our systematic review. The prevalence of arthralgia was found to range from 2% to 65% within a time frame varying from 4 weeks to 12 months after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. Inflammatory arthritis was also reported with various clinical phenotypes such as symmetrical polyarthritis with RA-like pattern similar to other prototypical viral arthritis, polymyalgia-like symptoms, or acute monoarthritis and oligoarthritis of large joints resembling reactive arthritis. Moreover, high figures of post-COVID-19 patients fulfilling the classification criteria for fibromyalgia were found, ranging from 31% to 40%. Finally, the available literature about prevalence of rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies was largely inconsistent. In conclusion, manifestations of rheumatological interest such as joint pain, new-onset inflammatory arthritis and fibromyalgia are frequently reported after COVID-19, highlighting the potential role of SARS-CoV-2 as a trigger for the development of autoimmune conditions and rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases.

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Persistent COVID-19 symptoms at least one month after diagnosis: A national survey

Cited by 15 publications

References 39 publications

Fatigue after COVID‐19 in non‐hospitalized patients according to sex

Fatigue after COVID‐19 in non‐hospitalized patients according to sex

A National Survey of Children, Adults, and the Elderly in the Fourth Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic to Compare Acute and Post-COVID-19 Conditions in Saudi Arabia

Post-Acute COVID-19 Joint Pain and New Onset of Rheumatic Musculoskeletal Diseases: A Systematic Review

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