ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND Persistence of symptoms following Covid-19 infection has now been recognized as an upcoming public health crisis. Understanding these persistent symptoms and quantifying them is vital in planning care for these patients. Studies from India estimating the magnitude of these persistent symptoms are scarce. We aimed to estimate the proportion of symptoms that persist among patients who have recovered from Covid-19 infection. METHODS We conducted this descriptive study among 114 individuals after they recovered from Covid-19 infection. Participants diagnosed as Covid-positive at a tertiary care centre were included in the study. Data were collected from the participants through an online platform. Frequency and proportion of various persistent symptoms were estimated. Analysis was done using SPSS version 16. RESULTS The mean (SD) age of the study participants was 35.5 (15.7) years. Women comprised 62.3% (n=71) of the population. Persistent symptoms were reported by 66 (57.9%; 95% CI 53.07–62.72) participants. The most common symptoms reported were fatigue (n=45, 39.5%) and joint pain (n=23, 20.2%). Those who required hospitalization for longer duration were found to be more associated with having persistent symptoms (p=0.018). CONCLUSION A sizable proportion of individuals had persistent symptoms after recovering from Covid-19 infection. Health facilities should be equipped to address these emerging issues.
ABSTRACT
Background. Tobacco has long been identified as one of the most hazardous risk factors detrimental to health. To plan and implement anti-tobacco activities in any community, it is necessary to understand the risk it poses in that setting. We assessed the risk of mortality associated with tobacco use in a rural community of Kerala. Methods. This cohort study (PROLIFE) was done in Varkkala, a rural development block of Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. Adults aged 20 years and above were included. Age-adjusted mortality rates were computed for both users and non-users of tobacco. The risk of mortality was plotted using Kaplan–Meier curves. Cox regression was used to compute the age-adjusted hazard ratio of mortality among tobacco users. Results. More than one-fourth of the study population used tobacco. The age-adjusted mortality rates were higher among tobacco users. The major causes of death among both users and non-users of tobacco were similar. The incidence proportion of death among all causes of death was higher for tobacco users. The hazard of mortality was significantly more among tobacco users, with the age-adjusted hazard ratio being 1.225 (1.140–1.315). Conclusion. The mortality risk due to tobacco use is high irrespective of the cause of death.