ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic affects all aspects of the patient's health. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between disease severity and long term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients who have been discharged for 6 months. Methods: In this historical cohort study, 192 patients with a history of severe and 192 patients with a history of non-severe COVID-19, who had been discharged at least 6 months before the interview, using the convenient sampling method and through the information registered in Medical care monitoring center(MCMC) of Shiraz's hospitals, in the Shiraz , a city in the sought part of Iran country in 2020, were selected. Data was collected through Telephone-based interview. The short form of the 12-item health-related quality of life (SF-12) questionnaire was used to measure the health-related quality of life. Mean (SD), frequency (percentage) were used to description. Chi-square test, independent samples t-test, Fisher's exact test, and multiple linear regression model was used to inferential statistics. All statistical analyzes were performed in SPSS software version 24, considering a significance level of 0.05. Results: Generally out of 384 patients, 79.95% (307 people) were married and mean (SD) of age was 53.95 (15.87). Most of the patients in the two groups were male (57.81% in severe and 51.04% in non-severe disease group). Independent samples t-test showed that the mean of quality of life score in patients with severe type was significantly lower compared to patients with non-severe (p<0.001, 34.45(6.59) versus 39.64 (5.07)). Results of multiple linear regression also showed that the severity of the disease had a significant negative effect on HRQOL of patients (p<0.001, B=-4.84). Conclusion: Our finding showed that HRQOL in patients with a non-severe level of COVID -19 was significantly higher than in patients with a severe level. Therefore, it seems Necessary to consider a policy for development of a kind of social, psychological or medical support for improving the HRQOL of patients with severe disease.