The duration of symptoms relief after treatment in symptomatic COVID-19 cases

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The clinical profile of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has a wide range of symptoms from self-limiting viral upper respiratory tract infection to death from arrest. The symptoms vary depending on the severity of the disease and countries. Experts from many parts of the world report on symptoms and onset times, but there are still many unanswered questions about the new disease, COVID-19. The prevalence of symptoms and, in particular, the relief durations are also questions that need to be answered. Moreover, there is no common algorithm for post-treatment follow-up in this disease, which can cause many organ damage. Materials and methods: The aim of this cross-sectional survey study is to find answers to these questions. A total of 185 symptomatic people, who were discharged after inpatient treatment in Elazig Fethi Sekin City Hospital in Turkey in December 2020, voluntarily participated in the study. Volunteers were asked questions about the duration of relief of symptoms after treatment. Each of the common symptoms was examined separately (16 questions). The data obtained were statistically analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS program;and charted by using the Python 3.0 Seaborn library. Results: According to the answers of the participants, it was concluded that the symptoms could persist for more than 1 month and therefore they repeatedly applied to the hospital. Conclusion: The uncertainty about the symptoms and duration of COVID-19 after treatment imposes serious financial burdens on health organizations. Due to this reason, it is urgently necessary to conduct large-scale randomized studies and determine follow-up algorithms after treatment. © 2022, Pamukkale University. All rights reserved.