Prevalence of post--COVID syndrome in a cohort of faculty of a medical institute and their family members

ABSTRACT

Background & Objective: Persistent or new appearance signs and symptoms in post--COVID patients is a well-- recognized complication of the COVID-19 pandemic, the severity of which is still underestimated and, therefore, remains unaddressed. Multiple studies from all over the world have documented the prevalence of post--COVID symptoms;however, the frequency, the severity and the variety of post--COVID symptoms in our country has not been much investigated. We determined the prevalence of post--COVID syndrome in a cohort of faculty working in Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical College (FRPMC), Karachi, Pakistan, and their family members. Methodology: This cross--sectional, descriptive single--center study was conducted in a medical institute, data was gathered with a questionnaire sent to the cohort of medical faculty and their families. Data was analyzed on SPSS 20 and ODDs Ratio calculated using different variables. Results: A total of 84 patients were enrolled which had suffered from COVID out of which 51 (60.7%) had post-- COVID symptoms, with fatigability 40 (48%), muscle pain 16 (19%), inability to continue the normal chores 12(14%), dry cough 11 (13%), breathlessness 10(12%), sleep disturbance and brain fog or difficulty in concentration 11 (13%), and hair loss 9 (11%) being the common complaints. There was no positive or negative relationship between the severity of COVID infection and the presence of the post--COVID syndrome. Conclusion: The prevalence of post--COVID symptoms in COVID infected population is high, however, no identifiable risk factor is observed. A multidisciplinary team approach is much needed to cater for the needs of the vulnerable post--COVID population, more observational studies are needed to follow the sequel of this comparatively new virus which may still be unidentified. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Anaesthesia, Pain & Intensive Care is the property of Department of Anaesthesia, Pain & Intensive Care and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)