Diabetes and the Risk of Long-term Post-COVID Symptoms.

This study investigated the association of diabetes in patients who recovered from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection with the presence of long-term post-coronavirus disease (COVID) symptoms. A case-control study that included individuals hospitalized during the first wave of the pandemic was conducted. Patients with a previous diagnosis of diabetes and under medical control were considered case subjects. Two age- and sex-matched patients without presenting diabetes per case subject were recruited as control subjects. Hospitalization and clinical data were collected from hospital medical records. Patients were scheduled for a telephone interview. A list of post-COVID symptoms was systematically evaluated, but participants were invited to freely report any symptom. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to assess anxiety and depressive symptoms, and sleep quality, respectively. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were constructed. Overall, 145 patients with diabetes and 144 control subjects without diabetes who had recovered from COVID-19 were assessed at 7.2 (SD 0.6) months after hospital discharge. The number of post-COVID symptoms was similar between groups (incident rate ratio 1.06, 95% CI 0.92-1.24, P = 0.372). The most prevalent post-COVID symptoms were fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, and pain. No between-groups differences in any post-COVID symptom were observed. Similarly, no differences in limitations with daily living activities were found between patients with and without diabetes. Diabetes was not a risk factor for experiencing long-term post-COVID symptoms.

Fatigue and Dyspnoea as Main Persistent Post-COVID-19 Symptoms in Previously Hospitalized Patients: Related Functional Limitations and Disability.

BACKGROUND: Multicentre studies focussing on specific long-term post-COVID-19 symptoms are scarce. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the levels of fatigue and dyspnoea, repercussions on daily life activities, and risk factors associated with fatigue or dyspnoea in COVID-19 survivors at long term after hospital discharge. METHODS: Age, gender, height, weight, symptoms at hospitalization, pre-existing medical comorbidity, intensive care unit admission, and the presence of cardio-respiratory symptoms developed after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection were collected from patients who recovered from COVID-19 at 4 hospitals in Madrid (Spain) from March 1 to May 31, 2020 (first COVID-19 wave). The Functional Impairment Checklist was used for evaluating fatigue/dyspnoea levels and functional limitations. RESULTS: A total of 1,142 patients (48% women, age: 61, standard deviation [SD]: 17 years) were assessed 7.0 months (SD 0.6) after hospitalization. Fatigue was present in 61% patients, dyspnoea with activity in 55%, and dyspnoea at rest in 23.5%. Only 355 (31.1%) patients did not exhibit fatigue and/or dyspnoea 7 months after hospitalization. Forty-five per cent reported functional limitations with daily living activities. Risk factors associated with fatigue and dyspnoea included female gender, number of pre-existing comorbidities, and number of symptoms at hospitalization. The number of days at hospital was a risk factor just for dyspnoea. CONCLUSIONS: Fatigue and/or dyspnoea were present in 70% of hospitalized COVID-19 survivors 7 months after discharge. In addition, 45% patients exhibited limitations on daily living activities. Being female, higher number of pre-existing medical comorbidities and number of symptoms at hospitalization were risk factors associated to fatigue/dyspnoea in COVID-19 survivors 7 months after hospitalization.