Long-Covid: What Awaits Us After Corona Infection?


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Durmaz A., Yılmaz M.

JOURNAL OF BASIC AND CLINICAL HEALTH SCIENCES, vol.6, no.3, pp.743-753, 2022 (ESCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 6 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.30621/jbachs.1021549
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF BASIC AND CLINICAL HEALTH SCIENCES
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Page Numbers: pp.743-753
  • Keywords: covid-19, long-covid, persistent symptoms
  • Kütahya Health Sciences University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Purpose: Studies show that the effects of Covid-19 disease sometimes last for months. The condition of observing the symptoms that continue 28 days after the Covid-19 disease is called “Long-Corona Syndrome” This study was carried out to determine the presence, frequency and affecting factors of symptoms that continue after 28 days in patients with mild course of Covid-19 disease. Methods: This study was carried out to determine the symptoms and affecting factors after 28 days in patients who had a mild course of Covid-19 and recovered. 64 thousand Covid-19 patients were diagnosed in our city until July 2021. A survey was conducted by contacting 659 people who did not have an indication for hospitalization, either face-to-face or by telephone. 635 people completed the survey. Results: The mean age of the patients was 44.26±15.69 years, 50.10% were female and 43.50% were university graduates. It was determined that an average of 6.39±2.61 months (min:2; max:14) had passed since the patients were diagnosed with Covid-19. The most common symptoms of fatigue were muscle pain, memory problems, joint pain, and smell disorders, respectively. It was found that there was a significant relationship between the presence of persisting symptoms, the observation of symptoms at the beginning of the disease, the presence of lung involvement, the status of taking anticoagulants, and the prolongation of the recovery time of active symptoms (p<0.05). Female gender, presence of chronic disease and non-vaccination were observed at higher rates in Long-Covid patients. Conclusion: Persisting symptoms are observed more in patients with severe clinical course of Covid-19 disease. As vaccination rates increase, the rate of observing persisting symptoms decreases. There is a need for further research on this subject with more vaccinated individuals.