Predictors of long covid 19 syndrome

Abstract

Background: Symptoms of covid persist in most cases with development of a multisystem syndrome called long covid syndrome. Objective: The aim of the work was to evaluate symptoms that persist after the acute stage of the disease in a cohort of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID 19 and to define the predictors for long COVID syndrome. Patients and method: This retrospective study involved 164 patients with previously confirmed or highly suspected COVID 19 and still attending to the post covid outpatient clinic in El-Minia University Chest Hospital complaining from persistence of symptoms or for regular follow up. Their data was obtained from their previous medical reports. Results: Post Covid 19 symptoms were found in about 86 % of the studied patients with 42.7% reported neuropsychiatric symptoms and 26.8% reported respiratory symptoms. The most common reported symptoms in non-severe cases were the anxiety disorders (18.9%), followed by chronic fatigue and neuropathy (15.2%), while chronic dyspnea in 9.8% mostly in severe cases, while vertigo and headache in 9.1%, musculoskeletal symptoms in 6.1% and skin lesions in 3.7%. Conclusion: It could be concluded that persistence of symptoms is very common after acute Covid 19 infection. Chronic dyspnea was reported more frequently in severe cases while anxiety reported mostly by patients with mild disease.