ABSTRACT
Introduction. Post-COVID syndrome is a complex of symptoms that develops in almost half of the patients who have had a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The frequency of symptom development based on the duration of the post-COVID period, age, gender, and severity of the course of the disease are highly relevant subjects, as they will allow to form approaches to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of post-COVID syndrome. Material and methods. 43 patients were included (men – 10, women – 33), age 65 [60–71]. The questionnaire was designed after a comprehensive review of literature from the past studies based on similar objectives. We divided patients in two groups in depending on recovery: up to 3 months (n=23), after to 3 months (n=20). In depend on degree of lung parenchymal abnormalities two groups were formed: less than 25%, more than 25%. Vital signs (respiratory rate, SpO2, hearth rate) were collected. The tolerance in physical activity we investigate by modified Medical Research Council breathlessness scale – mMRC, six-minute test. Borgscale, hurt rate and oxygen saturation were measured immediately before and after test. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22.0. Results and discussion. The majority of the patients complained on persistent fatigue (75%), dyspnea (59%), joint pain (45%), anxiety (38%) and chest pain (37%). We didn't find difference in frequencies of majority of complaints in depend on duration of post-COVID period. In patients with LA>25% mMRC, respiratory rate, Borg scale in six-minute test higher than in patients with LA<25%. Conclusion. In elderly patients, symptoms persisted for more than 3 months after a new coronavirus infection, which is associated with a higher risk of chronic pathological processes in elderly patients. With lung lesion volume of more than 25%, respiratory functional test values are higher than in the group of patients with smaller lesion volume, which is most likely caused by preserved structural damage of lung tissue. © 2022, LLC "IMC" Modern Clinical Medicine. All rights reserved.