Prevalence and Predictive Factors of Long COVID in Nurses in Brazil

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed significant challenges to global public health, particularly affecting nursing professionals, owing to their continuous exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and intense working conditions. Methods: A cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive quantitative study was conducted involving 3,155 nurses from all macroregions of Brazil who tested positive for COVID-19, of whom 1,921 reported persistent symptoms lasting four weeks or more due to COVID-19. Data collection included sociodemographic, situational, and clinical variables. The statistical tests chi-square were applied to assess associations between independent variables and symptom persistence. Additionally, co-occurrence analysis and the Jaccard index were used to identify patterns associated with long COVID-19 symptoms. Results: The sample was predominantly female (84.0%), mostly White (50.8%), and married or in a stable union (51.3%). Most had specialization degrees (64.8%) and worked in public institutions (71.3%), mainly wards (28.9%), primary care units (24.8%), and ICUs (22.5%). Chronic conditions were reported by 33.0% of the participants, with rhinitis (16.0%) and hypertension (8.3%) being the most prevalent. The most common persistent symptoms included fatigue (70.0%), memory loss (68.8%), anxiety (58.1%), hair loss (58.6%), and cough (53.4%). Statistically significant associations were observed between long COVID-19 duration and the presence of comorbidities, especially rhinitis and obesity (p < 0.01), as well as ICU admission. Cooccurrence analysis revealed strong correlations between cough and memory loss (Jaccard = 0.980), insomnia and loss of taste (0.978), anxiety and hair loss (0.977), and tachycardia and palpitations (0.946), among other relevant symptom pairs. Conclusions: This study revealed a high prevalence of long COVID-19 among Brazilian nurses, with a significant impact on their physical and mental health. The identified symptom associations highlight the need for continuous clinical follow-up and targeted interventions to mitigate persistent effects of the infection. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the importance of support and rehabilitation policies for healthcare workers affected by long-term COVID-19.