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Background: The long-term effect of the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is not fully known. Severe cases of COVID-19 have resulted in disability that can be assessed in a biopsychosocial manner with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health with the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) questionnaire. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects on disability of COVID-19 three years after post-acute rehabilitation using WHODAS 2.0. Methods: This single-center cohort study included patients with severe COVID-19 who underwent immediate post-discharge post-acute rehabilitation intervention. Three years later, patients were assessed via telephone using the WHODAS 2.0 questionnaire. Results: Of the 69 patients identified in the hospital database, 27 responded. A total of 16 patients refused to respond due to emotional distress. The mean age was 63.4 ± 8.6 years, 81.5% were independent in the community, 55.3% had been previously admitted to the ICU, and the median rehabilitation hospitalization duration was 18 (11.5,24) days. Comorbidities included type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) (55.5%), grade 2 high blood pressure (62.9%), pressure ulcers (37%), peripheral neurologic deficits (62.9%), and central neurological deficits (14.8%). ICU admission was significantly correlated with advanced rehabilitation needs (measured by the level of the rehabilitation (p < 0.01) and longer hospitalizations (measured by total days in the hospital (p < 0.001). The overall disability score was 35.09%, significantly influenced by DM and central neurological deficits. Conclusions: Central neurological deficits and DM are associated with higher disability scores. Tailored rehabilitation programs, ongoing medical assessment, integrated care models, and patient education are essential for improving long-term outcomes after COVID-19 disease.
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(1) Background: The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) is a tool designed to measure disability in accordance with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Measuring disability is becoming increasingly important due to its high prevalence, which continues to rise. Rehabilitation interventions can reduce disability and enhance functioning. (2) Objective: The present study aims to assess the impact of rehabilitation interventions on reducing disability, as measured by the WHODAS 2.0 questionnaire. It also seeks to identify which specific rehabilitation interventions are more effective and to explore other disability assessment questionnaires. (3) Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, we conducted a systematic review, with the protocol registered with the identifier CRD42023495309, focused on "WHODAS" and "rehabilitation" using PubMed and Web of Science electronic databases. (4) Results: We identified 18 articles from various regions encompassing patients with various health conditions, related to stroke, the cardiovascular system (cardiovascular disease, chronic heart failure), the pulmonary system (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), the neurologic system (Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, neurodegenerative disease), the musculoskeletal system (orthopaedic surgery), cancer, and chronic pain, and among frail elderly. These patients have received a wide range of rehabilitation interventions: from conventional therapy to virtual reality, robot-assisted arm training, exergaming, and telerehabilitation. (5) Discussion and Conclusions: A wide range of rehabilitation techniques can effectively improve disability with various comorbidities, offering numerous benefits. The WHODAS 2.0 questionnaire proves to be an efficient and reliable tool for measuring disability, and scores have a tendency to decrease after rehabilitation.
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BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is a syndrome characteristic in elderly patients and is also associated with a significant proportion of chronic disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this case, it can lead to a worse prognosis of the disease and a decreased quality of life. STUDY AIM: This study aims to identify the best ways to diagnose sarcopenia in patients with IBD, establish its impact on the course of the disease, and find preventive methods to counteract the effects of sarcopenia in the outcome of patients with IBD and, therefore, minimize disabilities and increase the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review with the Prospero registration number CRD42023398886 was performed in PubMed and Web of Science databases, evaluating all original articles published in the last 10 years (clinical trials and randomized control trials) that describe sarcopenia and IBD in the human adult population. RESULTS: From the 16 articles that were included, 5 articles defined sarcopenia by the skeletal muscle index (SMI) and reported data regarding its correlation with body composition: BMI; visceral fat (VF); subcutaneous fat (SC); and VF/SC index. Other articles evaluated the link between sarcopenia and the total psoas muscle area, thigh circumference, calf circumference, subjective global assessment, hand grip strength, and appendicular SMI, alongside inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and C-reactive protein, level of disability, malnutrition, frailty, resistance training alone and in combination with whey protein, and infliximab treatment. DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: There is a great heterogeneity regarding the assessment criteria and methods used to diagnose sarcopenia due to the variability of population characteristics, both anthropometric and socio-cultural, alongside the high variability in the cut-offs. Therefore, any method which identifies sarcopenia in IBD patients, thus enabling intervention, may provide good results for patient quality of life and outcomes.