COVID-19 Pandemic is Not Over for Survivors with Long COVID Syndrome: Evidence of a One-Year Retrospective Follow-up Study from Iran

Abstract

Background: Most patients who are infected by COVID-19 develop recovery from it; however, some of these patients experience a variety of mid-and long-term physical and/or mental effects after their initial illness recovery. These mid and long-term effects are collectively known as post-COVID-19 conditions or “long COVID.” Objectives: We aimed to detect the incidence of long COVID syndrome (LCS) and its determinants. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, previously hospitalized subjects due to COVID-19 were selected by systematic random sampling. A valid checklist was filled out by phone interview with each participant, while hospitalization data were extracted from hospital information system. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The mean age of 1,738 interviewees was 54.2 ± 14.5 years. The median time of follow-up was 352 days. Overall, 1,526 (87.8%) interviewees had at least one symptom of LCS. Among physical symptoms, hair loss (23.9%) and among psychological complaints, depression (69.1%) were predominant. Anemia (odds ratio (OR): 3.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.49-6.98), patients of second epidemic wave (OR: 2.82, 95% CI: 1.57-5.07), use of vitamins/minerals (OR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.53-3.3) or antibiotics (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.02-3.33), diabetes mellitus (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.11-3.23), who were not the head of their families (OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.18-2.32) and use of antivirals (OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.03-2.61) were significantly associated with LCS. Conclusions: COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and most COVID-19 survivors suffer from LCS. Therefore, the establishment of integrated post-COVID care systems for these patients is highly needed and recommended