Biomedicine

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 has been linked to the development of post-COVID syndrome, which typically presents with symptoms. There is limited evidence of post-COVID syndrome, particularly in individuals with asymptomatic or moderate infections from India. Material & Method: This single-centre retrospective cohort study was conducted on COVID-19-recovered patients at MNR Medical College & Hospital, Sangareddy. All the patient's records, admitted due to COVID-19 infection from April to July 2021 were collected. Patients diagnosed by RTPCR, treated for COVID-19, and recovered to discharge were included in the study after obtaining the informed consent. A predesigned questionnaire capturing the data related to the post-COVID symptoms and responses from all the patients was collected through telecommunication and Google forms through email. The impact of each domain is measured on a Likert scale with 1 as the minimum and 10 as the maximum score—the EQ-5D-5L to assess the various domains among the patients. Result: A total of 400 patients were recruited for the study. The post covid symptoms are seen in almost all cases. Most common long-term COVID symptoms include post-viral fatigue (56.5%), post-exertional dyspnoea (39.1%), anosmia (34.8%), myalgia (34.8%), insomnia (32.6%), arthralgia (32.6%), persistent cough (30.4%), headache (30.4%), palpitations (17,4%). On EQ-5D-5L there was a significant difference in the anxiety and depression domain among the patients. Conclusion: Understanding the long-term effects of COVID-19 is as it is a multisystemic disease impacting health and well-being, helping healthcare workers to focus on the health and recovery of the patient post-discharge from the hospital.