Post‐COVID syndrome: A single‐center questionnaire study on 1007 participants recovered from COVID‐19

Abstract

Post recovery manifestations have become another concern in patients who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Numerous reports have shown that COVID‐19 has a variety of long‐term effects on almost all systems including respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological, psychiatric, and dermatological systems. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of the post‐COVID syndrome among COVID‐19 survivors and to determine the factors associated with persistent symptoms. This prospective study enrolled in patients with COVID‐19 followed in hospital or outpatient clinics in Ankara City Hospital. We performed a special questionnaire to inquire about the presence of persistent symptoms beyond 12 weeks from the first diagnosis. Demographic data, comorbid diseases, characteristics of acute COVID‐19, presence of persistent symptoms by systems, and knowledge about outpatient clinic visits after recovery were assessed. Of a total of 1007 participants, 39.0% had at least one comorbidity, and 47.5% had persistent symptoms. Fatigue/easy fatigability, myalgia, and loss of weight were the most frequent persistent symptoms (overall 29.3%) followed by respiratory symptoms (25.4%). A total of 235 participants had visited outpatient clinics due to several reasons during the post‐COVID‐19 period, and 17 of them were hospitalized. Severe acute COVID‐19, hospitalization, and presence of comorbidity were independent factors for the development of persistent symptoms. Fully understanding the spectrum of the post‐COVID syndrome is essential for appropriate management of all its long‐term effects. Our study once again underlined the fact that the prevalence of post‐COVID syndrome is higher than expected and concerns many systems, and a multidisciplinary follow‐up should be provided to COVID‐19 survivors in the post recovery period.

Risk factors and preventive interventions for post Covid-19 condition: systematic reviews

“…The certainty of evidence was low for a small-to-moderate association between: number of comorbidities (i.e., ≥1 versus 0) and non-recovery (4 studies, n=2,069) (4, 15-17), chronic pulmonary disease with fatigue (2 studies, n= 2,961) (36, 38), rheumatologic disorder with depression/anxiety (1 study, n=2,649) (38), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or hypertension with cognitive impairment (1 study, n=1,539) (37). Post Covid-19 condition was found to have little-to-no association (low certainty) with a few other pre-existing conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and there was very low certainty for several other pre-existing conditions ( Table S6 ).…”

“…Severe or critical acute Covid-19 illness severity (versus not) showed a moderate certainty of evidence for a large association with cognitive impairment (hospitalized populations; 2 studies, n=2,335) (37, 43), small-to-moderate association with non-recovery (mixed-severity populations; 2 studies, n=1,438) (4, 17), and little-to-no association with dyspnea (hospitalized populations; 2 studies, n=2,976) (15, 38). There was a low certainty of evidence for a large association between hospitalization during the acute phase with: non-recovery (1 study, n=1,007) (4), more dyspnea (1 study, n=431) (17), and reduced return to work (1 study, n=11,955) (45).…”

“…Our understanding of factors predisposing to post Covid-19 condition is limited (10, 13). Evidence indicates that occurrence and intensity of post-Covid symptoms may be influenced by several factors, including age, gender, pre-existing conditions, and the level of care received during initial stages of the disease (4, 15-19). There are also uncertainties around whether the type of the treatment received during the acute phase of Covid-19 influences longer outcomes (20).…”

“…The ongoing global pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 has affected nearly 270 million people so far and has resulted in more than 5 million deaths worldwide (1). While most people infected with Covid-19 typically recover within a few weeks (2), some may experience persistent symptoms lasting for several weeks or even months after the initial infection (3,4). Several terminologies and definitions have been proposed to describe prolonged Covid-19 illness (5)(6)(7)(8).…”

Post-Covid-19 Syndrome: Improvements in Health-Related Quality of Life Following Psychology-Led Interdisciplinary Virtual Rehabilitation

“… 24 These symptoms include insomnia and hypersomnia, with many participants reporting fatigue upon waking. 25 , 26 Therefore the inclusion of strategies to optimize sleep may enhance the efficacy of post-COVID rehabilitation services. 25 The session begins with a group discussion, in which participants are encouraged to discuss sleep problems, changes to their sleep patterns, and quality of sleep.…”