Prevalence of post-COVID symptoms in a cohort of hospitalized patients in the North Coast of Colombia

Abstract

Understanding the prevalence and severity of post-COVID-19 conditions among hospitalized patients is crucial for developing effective strategies for managing the long-term consequences of the disease. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and severity of post-COVID-19 conditions in previously hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The study involved two phases: first, participants were contacted via phone call by trained personnel from the healthcare company and surveyed. In the second phase, two months after the telephone survey, a medical visit was conducted in the group of individuals who reported persistent symptoms in the previous call. Summary statistics such as mean, standard deviation (SD), interquartile range (IQR), 95%CI as well as absolute and relative frequencies of patients' baseline characteristics were reported. Changes were assessed through statistical tests for differences in means and proportions. Multivariate analyses were also conducted. The prevalence of at least one post-hospitalization condition after three months of COVID-19 hospitalization was 78.7 per 100 people. The most common symptoms included fatigue (55.4%), joint pain (46.0%), dyspnea (44.6%), sleep disorders (36.1%), anorexia (33.7%), and chest pain (31.7%). These conditions were frequent and disabling, experiencing at least one condition after three months. Within this group, more than 70% showed a deterioration in their health status (EQ5D-5L Scale) or experienced new or worsened disability in at least one domain of the Washington Group. Our study demonstrates that post-COVID-19 conditions in previously hospitalized patients are highly prevalent, which can adversely affect patients' quality of life and lead to increased demand for healthcare services.