Disability following COVID-19: A cross-sectional study at an apex COVID care hospital of central India

Abstract

Purpose: This study was done to assess the extent of disability in COVID-19 survivors using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) and to identify the predictor variables. Methodology: Patient recruitment for this cross-sectional study started after ethical clearance. Most of the recruited patients were telephonically invited from medical records data of institutional COVID-19-admitted patients. All patients aged 18 years or above, who recovered from COVID-19 infection at least 3 months back, were recruited in the study after fulfilment of other inclusion and exclusion criteria. Informed consent of each recruited patient was taken and disability assessment was done using WHODAS 2.0. Results: Fifty patients were enrolled in the study, and the mean WHODAS 2.0 score was found to be 35.49 (0 = no disability; 100 = full disability), the most involved subdomains being getting around (mean = 45.524), life activities (mean = 42.8692), societal participation (mean = 42.8095) and understanding–communicating (33.568). The overall WHO DAS-2 score was significantly higher in the above 45-year age group, recent follow-up patients (3 months completed but <4 months) and those having comorbidities (all comorbidities combined as well as diabetes alone). On the other hand, no such relationship could be established with gender, educational status, duration of COVID-19 admission, smoking history, body mass index categories, family size or family income. Furthermore, the effect of age and follow-up interval to the severity of disability was contributing only 6.58% on multiple linear regression analysis. Seventy per cent of respondents had moderate-to-extreme difficulty with walking a long distance, 60% had similar difficulty in standing for long periods, 54% in day-to-day work/school responsibilities, 60% in joining community activities and 58% were emotionally affected by their health problems. Conclusion: COVID-19 survivors suffered from significant disability even after 3 months of disease, especially amongst aged persons with pre-existing comorbidities; the severity of disability was significantly higher in those who have just completed 3 months in comparison to higher follow-up intervals. It was concluded that recognising post-COVID-19 sequelae and the initiation of rehabilitation services can be beneficial in preventing disability after acute COVID-19.