Persistent Symptoms Post-COVID-19: An Observational Study at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background As the prevalence of COVID-19 recovery cases increased, patients started to notice new symptoms after being cured of the acute infection. We aimed to study the type of persistent symptoms post-COVID-19 infection, their prevalence, and factors that play a role in developing the post-COVID-19 symptoms among COVID-19 patients at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from the period of September 2021 to December 2021. Participants were contacted via a phone interview. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, and p-values of ≤0.05 were considered significant. Results A total of 327 participants completed the study, of which 169 (51.7%) were male. Nearly half of the patients, 161 (49.09%), had persistent symptoms. The most common symptoms were loss of smell, loss of taste, cough, and fatigue (22.6%, 19.2%, 11.6%, and 9.1% respectively). They were followed by an equal percentage of shortness of breath, headache, and hair loss (7.3%). Gender was found to be significant in loss of smell, loss of taste, and hair loss, with p-values of 0.016, 0.018, and <0.001, respectively. Conclusion A large proportion of patients with COVID-19 developed persistent symptoms. The most common symptoms were loss of smell and taste, cough, and fatigue. Some factors played a role in acquiring post-COVID-19 symptoms, including gender and place of treatment. Gender was significantly associated with hair loss. Follow-up after recovery is required to maintain individual well-being.

Prevalence and Persistent Fatigue among Patients Post COVID-19 in Erbil City

“…The highest percent age of the present study is 31.7 which is similar to the result of observational Study at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and prospective study was conducted in Ankara City the percent of age was (41.3, 39.9), the age ≥ 50 years [12,13]. More than half of the participants in this study were a male which agrees with the results of some studies [12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Post COVID-19 Symptoms Among Infected Vaccinated Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

“…Other studies also reported the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as difficulties with concentration or memory, headaches, anxiety, and depression [ 23 , 40 ]. These symptoms can have a significant impact on patients' quality of life and deserve further investigation [ 41 – 43 ]. Interestingly, despite the high prevalence of persistent symptoms, the majority of recovered patients (87.5%) rated their overall health as good.…”

Self-reported long COVID-19 symptoms are rare among vaccinated healthcare workers

“…In Saudi Arabia, there is sparse of data regarding long-COVID among HCWs. A previous study in 2021 among the general population showed about half of 327 participants had persistent symptoms [12] and another study showed 351 (47.2%) of SARS-CoV-2 patients recovered more than 6 months [13] . A larger study among cases with SARS-CoV-2 infection showed that 225 (22·5%) patients had late symptoms [14] .…”