Medical and Health Sciences

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11888/18295

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Browsing Medical and Health Sciences by Author "Bayan Jamal Ahmed Abu Hamdh"

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    THE INCIDENCE OF LONG COVID-19 SYMPTOMS IN COVID-19 PATIENTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH RETURN TO WORK IN TULKARM DISTRICT: A FOLLOW-UP STUDY
    (2022-12-15) Bayan Jamal Ahmed Abu Hamdh
    Background: many COVID-19 patients complain of persistent symptoms post-recovery that affect their health status. This study aims to find the incidence rate of long COVID-19 symptoms, the most common associated risk factors, and to assess its impact on returning to work among COVID-19 patients. Method: a prospective cohort study was done to follow up on 669 positive COVID-19 patients diagnosed between September 16th and October 5th, 2021, in the Tulkarm district. The socio-demographic information was extracted from the EHR, and other information was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, making a phone call interview for patients to evaluate their persistent symptoms on Day 10, Day 30, Day 60, and Day 90. Results: the incidence of long COVID-19 symptoms was 41.6%; (95%CI: 37.8-45.4%). The most common persistent symptoms were dyspnea, fatigue, headache, insomnia, and loss of smell or taste. Female sex [aOR=1.5 (95%CI:1.1-2.3)], age > 30 [aOR=4.8 (95%CI:2.0-11.3)],and those who required hospitalization [aOR= 5.0 (95%CI:1.3-3.7)] were at a higher risk of developing long-COVID-19 symptoms, dyspnea at day ten[aOR:2.7 (95%CI:1.8-4.0)], and fatigue at day 60 [aOR:2.9 (95%CI:1.6-5.1] are considered predictors of long COVID-19 symptoms. On the other hand, the COVID-19 vaccination was found to be protective against long COVID-19 symptoms; non-vaccinated patients were seven times more likely than vaccinated patients to develop long COVID-19 [aOR:7.1 (95%CI:4.3-11.8)]. For sick leave more than ten days, it was found that the mean days of sick leaves was 11.64 ± 2.50, which was more among governmental employees and non-vaccinated patients. Conclusion: Females and older ageconsidered the high-risk group to develop long COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalized patients,dyspnea on day ten and fatigue on day 60 predicted long COVID-19, at the same time non-vaccinated patients were more likely to have prolong sick leave. WhileCOVID-19 vaccination was considered a protective factor. The best way to avoid developing long-lasting symptoms from COVID-19 infection is to prevent it through vaccination or other protective measures. More research is needed to gain knowledge more about long COVID-19 symptoms and their consequences. Keywords: Dyspnea; Fatigue; Long COVID-19; Sick leave ; Return to work.