Health-Related Quality of Life and Functional Status of Post-COVID-19 Patients

Read the full article See related articles

Listed in

This article is not in any list yet, why not save it to one of your lists.
Log in to save this article

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 mainly affects the respiratory system, although its manifestations are multisystemic. We are increasingly recognizing complications that present after the acute phase, which are associated with impaired functional status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The objective was to assess the functional status and HRQoL of patients with post-COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving individuals affected by COVID-19 who had persistent symptoms for one month after the acute phase of the disease. Functional status was measured with the six-minute walk test (6MWT), the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Medical Research Council (MRC) Dyspnea Scale, and the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status Scale (PCFS). HRQoL was confirmed with the Short-Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36). Results: We included 123 patients; 73 (59.35%) were male, with a mean age of 49.17 ± 13.48 years and a body mass index of 31.02 ± 6.56 stratified into three groups: the not-recovered group (NRG = 23), the ward-recovered group (WHG = 60), and the intensive-care-unit group (ICUG = 40). The main symptoms were muscle weakness (74.17%) and dyspnea (68.33%). The predicted distances for the 6MWT were missed by 12.83% by the GNR group, 20.21% by the GNR group, and 28.82% by the UGCI group. The MRC dyspnea scale had a mean value of less than 3, and the FSS scale had a mean value of over 4, indicating considerable fatigue. In the PCFS scale, a significant difference was observed (p < 0.0005), while in the SF-36, all HRQoL domains were compromised. Conclusion: Post-COVID-19 patients involved in this study showed a significant decline in functional status and an impairment of HRQoL.

Article activity feed