[Quality of life at 3 months of COVID-19 patients discharged from the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guinea]. / Qualité de vie àtrois mois des patients sortis guéris du COVID-19 de l'unité de soins intensifs au cours de la pandémie de COVID-19 en Guinée.

Introduction: in sub-Saharan Africa, the impact of intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization of COVID patients is not at all known in terms of quality of life because it is very poorly documented. The aim of this study was to describe the quality of life at three months of patients who had been in the ICU. Methods: we conducted a monocentric prospective cohort study over a 6-month period. Results: hundred and three (103) patients participated in the survey out of 123 patients discharged from the ICU during our study period, with a participation rate of 85%. The average length of stay in the ICU was 12 days with extremes of 2 and 36 days. The mean duration of oxygen therapy was 12±10 days. The assessment of quality of life with the SF-36 at 3 months after discharge from the intensive care unit showed impairment in eight domains, the most important of which were the emotional domain with a mean score of 57.6±44.6, the social functioning domain with a score of 60.77±24.07 and the vitality domain, which was 66.2±21.6. The global evaluation of the two main dimensions of the SF-36 showed a deficiency in the psychological dimension with a mean score of 64 with extremes of 12 and 90. This evaluation also showed an impairment of the physical dimension with a mean score of 70 with extremes of 20 and 97. Conclusion: our study showed a significant decrease in the quality of life of COVID-19 patients discharged from the intensive care unit.

Seroreactivity of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Recombinant S Protein, Receptor-Binding Domain, and Its Receptor-Binding Motif in COVID-19 Patients and Their Cross-Reactivity With Pre-COVID-19 Samples From Malaria-Endemic Areas.

Despite the global interest and the unprecedented number of scientific studies triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, few data are available from developing and low-income countries. In these regions, communities live under the threat of various transmissible diseases aside from COVID-19, including malaria. This study aims to determine the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroreactivity of antibodies from COVID-19 and pre-COVID-19 samples of individuals in Mali (West Africa). Blood samples from COVID-19 patients (n = 266) at Bamako Dermatology Hospital (HDB) and pre-COVID-19 donors (n = 283) from a previous malaria survey conducted in Dangassa village were tested by ELISA to assess IgG antibodies specific to the full-length spike (S) protein, the receptor-binding domain (RBD), and the receptor-binding motif (RBM436-507). Study participants were categorized by age, gender, treatment duration for COVID-19, and comorbidities. In addition, the cross-seroreactivity of samples from pre-COVID-19, malaria-positive patients against the three antigens was assessed. Recognition of the SARS-CoV-2 proteins by sera from COVID-19 patients was 80.5% for S, 71.1% for RBD, and 31.9% for RBM (p < 0.001). While antibody responses to S and RBD tended to be age-dependent, responses to RBM were not. Responses were not gender-dependent for any of the antigens. Higher antibody levels to S, RBD, and RBM at hospital entry were associated with shorter treatment durations, particularly for RBD (p < 0.01). In contrast, higher body weights negatively influenced the anti-S antibody response, and asthma and diabetes weakened the anti-RBM antibody responses. Although lower, a significant cross-reactive antibody response to S (21.9%), RBD (6.7%), and RBM (8.8%) was detected in the pre-COVID-19 and malaria samples. Cross-reactive antibody responses to RBM were mostly associated (p < 0.01) with the absence of current Plasmodium falciparum infection, warranting further study.