Reference:
Experimental Design:
In this study, 120 patients who had been hospitalized from COVID-19 answered a short phone questionnaire around 110 days after their discharge. The questionnaire was interested in the patients’ quality of life after they had been released from the hospital. The researchers used the questionnaire to collect information on physical activities, whether they returned to work, attention, and memory/sleep disorders by asking them to rate their health state on scales ranging from 0 to 100 in five categories. These five categories were: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression.
Results:
110 days after leaving the hospital due to COVID-19 infection, patients reported these symptoms:
Before COVID-19 infection:
Less severe cases of COVID-19 infections still resulted in similar long-term effects.
- Fatigue (55% of patients)
- Dyspnoea, or difficulty in breathing (42% of patients)
- Loss of memory (34% of patients)
- Difficulty with concentration (28% of patients)
- Sleep disorder (30.8% of patients)
- Loss of hair (20% of patients)
Before COVID-19 infection:
- 56 patients were active workers. 38 (69.1%) had gone back to work after returning home
- 39 patients had regular sports activity. 28 patients were able to resume physical activity, but 18 (46%) resumed physical activity only at a lower level than before
Less severe cases of COVID-19 infections still resulted in similar long-term effects.
What does this mean?
Just because patients have been cleared of COVID-19 does not mean that their health will return to normal immediately. They can continue to experience symptoms such as fatigue and difficulty breathing well after they are discharged.
COVID-19’s effects can go beyond the initial infection period, making infection even more dangerous. You can take the necessary precautions to prevent your risk of infection. Remember to always wear a mask in public, practice social distancing, and wash your hands!
COVID-19’s effects can go beyond the initial infection period, making infection even more dangerous. You can take the necessary precautions to prevent your risk of infection. Remember to always wear a mask in public, practice social distancing, and wash your hands!
