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Persistent/Late-Onset Complications of COVID-19 in General Population: A Cross-Sectional Study in Tehran, Iran
Peyman Saberian1,2, Behshad Pazooki3, Parisa Hasani-Sharamin4
1Prehospital and Hospital Emergency Research Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
A large study in Iran found that 77.2% of COVID-19 patients experienced persistent complications, including cardiopulmonary and skin issues. Older age, female sex, stress, and inadequate rest were linked to these long-term effects.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Persistent or late-onset complications following acute COVID-19 infection are a growing concern.
- Understanding the prevalence of these post-COVID conditions is crucial for patient management.
- This study focuses on a large cohort of COVID-19 patients in Tehran, Iran.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of persistent/late-onset complications in COVID-19 survivors.
- To identify common types of post-COVID complications.
- To explore factors associated with the development of these complications.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 447 COVID-19 patients identified through Tehran emergency medical services.
- Patients were interviewed by phone at least 4 weeks post-symptom onset.
- Data collected included complication types, duration, clinical information, and potential interfering factors, analyzed using STATA 16.
Main Results:
- A high prevalence of persistent/late-onset complications was observed, with 77.2% (345/447) of patients experiencing at least one complication.
- Cardiopulmonary (40.0%) and skin-related (38.7%) symptoms were the most frequent.
- Significant associations were found between long-term complications and older age, female sex, psychological stress, and inadequate rest.
Conclusions:
- A substantial proportion of COVID-19 survivors experience significant physical and psychological long-term complications.
- Healthcare providers need to be prepared to manage these persistent post-COVID conditions.
- Adequate resources and support systems are essential for aiding patient recovery and coping.
Background:
After recovery from acute phase of the COVID-19, some patients suffer from persistent/late-onset complications. The main objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of such complications in a large scale of COVID-19 patients in Tehran, Iran.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, those patients who called Tehran emergency medical services center and were visited by the emergency medical technicians from 20 March 2020 until 21 September 2020 and diagnosed as a confirmed COVID-19 case were enrolled. The minimum required sample size was estimated 385 cases, and they were selected randomly. The patients were interviewed by phone at least 4 weeks since initiation of their symptoms. Using a pre-prepared checklist, made by an expert panel who were involved in management of COVID-19 patients, data were collected on the types and duration of the complications, clinical information, and factors which could interfere with developing the complications. All analyses were performed using STATA 16 software. The association of the prevalence of each complication with independent factor was assessed using Chi-square test (or Fisher's exact test) for categorical variable, and the mean difference of numerical variables in the two groups (with and without complication) was assessed using independent t-test. Statistical significance was accepted at P value<0.05.
Results:
Four-hundred forty-seven patients participated in the study. Among our total population, 345 (77.2%) patients experienced at least one of the persistent/late-onset complications. Cardiopulmonary and then skin-related symptom categories were reported in 179 (40.0%) and 173 (38.7%) patients, respectively, and were the most prevalent persistent/late-onset complications. The associations of long term persistent/late-onset complications with older ages (P=0.04), female (P<0.001), psychological stress (P=0.01), and inadequate rest after illness (P<0.001) were significant.
Conclusion:
The findings of this study indicate that a significant number of patients will experience persistent/late-onset complications, both physically and mentally, after recovering from acute phase of COVID-19. Thus, physicians should have adequate resources and support to care for the patients to help them cope with the condition.
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