Long-COVID and General Health Status in Hospitalized COVID-19 Survivors
May 2023
in “
Scientific Reports
”
TLDR Most hospitalized COVID-19 survivors in the study experienced long-term symptoms, affecting their daily life and mental functions.
The study conducted in northern Iran involved 319 hospitalized COVID-19 survivors and found that only 7.5% were symptom-free three months post-infection, while 23.2% reported hair loss as their only symptom. The most common long-term symptoms were hair loss (61.4%), fatigue (54.1%), shortness of breath (40.2%), altered smell (34.4%), aggression (34.4%), memory impairment (29%), and self-perceived depression (25.1%). Factors such as age, education level, sex, and background disease significantly affected the persistence of COVID-19 symptoms. The study concluded that long-term COVID-19 complications can significantly impact daily activities, cognitive functions, and quality of life. The study was limited by its focus on hospitalized patients, symptom-oriented assessment, and relatively small sample size. It did not assess patients' quality of life or include outpatients or those with malignant comorbidities.