Risk factors for post-COVID-19 condition: A case-control study in municipalities of Paraíba and Rio de Janeiro,...

Post-COVID-19 condition, refers to one or multiple symptoms that continue for several weeks or months following the COVID-19 infection. This study aims to assess the factors associated with post-COVID-19 condition in the Brazilians regions of Paraiba and Rio de Janeiro. Understanding this factor is crucial to public policies and improving care for high-risk individuals.

This is a multicenter, retrospective case-control study. Cases were classified as individuals experiencing persistent symptoms for over 12-weeks following a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, whereas controls were those who recovered. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, lifestyle factors, and vaccination status were gathered, and logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between these variables and the onset of post-COVID-19 condition.

Of the 1.350 participants, 734 were cases and 616 were controls, with a 54% frequency of post-COVID-19 condition. The study found significant associations between the syndrome and female sex (OR = 2.09; 95% CI 1.6‒2.74), middle age (OR = 2.03; 95% CI 1.31‒3.15 for 40- to 60-years) and over 60 (OR=1.84; 95% CI 1.06‒3.2), white people (OR = 1.41; 95% CI 1.07‒1.86), hypercholesterolemia (OR = 1.66; 95% CI 1.18‒2.32), chronic lung diseases (OR = 5.60; 95% CI 1.18‒26.65), mental illness such as anxiety and panic disorder (OR = 2.52; 95% CI 1.64‒3.87), family history of long COVID syndrome (OR = 2.07; 95% CI 1.45‒2.97), hospitalization (OR = 5.89; 95% CI 3.92‒8.86) and good pre-COVID health perception (OR = 0.69; 95% CI 0.53‒0.9).

The findings reinforce the importance of identifying groups more frequently affected by post-COVID-19 condition and supporting follow-up strategies aimed at mitigating its impact on individuals and health services.