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What are the factors that affect post COVID 1st month's continuing symptoms?
Berna Akinci Ozyurek1, Tugce Sahin Ozdemirel1, Esma Sevil Akkurt1
1Department of Chest Disease, University of Health Sciences Ankara Atatürk Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
Persistent COVID-19 symptoms are linked to hospitalization, comorbidities, and elevated initial D-dimer and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Awareness of prolonged symptom duration can help avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- COVID-19 can lead to prolonged symptoms impacting patient recovery.
- Understanding factors associated with persistent symptoms is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between symptoms, patient characteristics, laboratory values, and treatments in COVID-19 patients one month post-infection.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 315 COVID-19 patients attending a chest diseases outpatient clinic for one-month follow-up.
- Data collected from hospital information and e-pulse systems.
Main Results:
- Persistent symptoms were associated with hospitalization, dual therapy, comorbidities, and pulmonary imaging findings.
- Elevated initial D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), and platelet counts correlated with ongoing symptoms.
- Commonly reported persistent symptoms included cough, dyspnea, weakness, and myalgia.
Conclusions:
- Hospitalized patients, those with COVID-19 pneumonia, comorbidities, or high initial D-dimer/CRP levels may experience prolonged symptoms.
- Informing patients about potential long-term symptoms can prevent unnecessary hospitalizations.
Aim:
The aim of our research was to investigate retrospectively the relationship between the symptoms and general characteristics, initial laboratory values and treatments in patients who had COVID-19 and who applied to the chest diseases outpatient clinic for control after 1 month.
Method:
Three hundred fifteen patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and applied to the chest diseases outpatient clinic between May 2020 and August 2020 for control in the 1st month were included in the study. Patient information was collected from the hospital information system and the e-pulse system.
Results:
Females accounted for 50.2% of our patients and their mean age was 47.9 ± 14.8 (19-88) years. About 14.3% (n: 45) of the individuals were 65 years of age and older, 20.6% (n: 65) of our patients were smoking and 70.2% (n: 221) of our patients were treated at home. A total of 133 patients had at least one comorbid disease. The patients most frequently reported cough, dyspnoea, weakness, myalgia and diarrhoea. The most common symptoms were cough, dyspnoea, weakness and myalgia in the 1st month. Initial D-dimer, initial CRP and the values of platelet, D dimer and CRP in the 1st month were detected to be higher in patients with persistent symptoms when the laboratory values of patients whose symptoms continue after 1 month were examined. It was determined that the symptoms had persisted in patients who had been hospitalised, had dual therapy, had comorbid diseases and had more common pathologies in their pulmonary imaging.
Conclusion:
Symptoms may persist for a long time in hospitalised patients, in patients with COVID-19-related pneumonia and concomitant chronic diseases and in patients with high D-dimer and high CRP at the time of admission. Patients are informed that their symptoms may last for a long time, unnecessary hospital admissions can be avoided.
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