Living With Persistent Respiratory Symptoms of Long COVID: Qualitative Study Among Brazilian Adults 12 Months After Acute Infection

IF 3.2 3区医学 Q2 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

Health Expectations Pub Date : 2025-09-23 DOI:10.1111/hex.70409

Giovana Alves Santos, Carlos Laranjeira, Lígia Carreira, Vanessa Denardi Antoniassi Baldissera, Maria Fernanda do Prado Tostes, Viviani Camboin Meireles, Rosella Santoro Ageno, Maria Aparecida Salci

{"title":"Living With Persistent Respiratory Symptoms of Long COVID: Qualitative Study Among Brazilian Adults 12 Months After Acute Infection","authors":"Giovana Alves Santos, Carlos Laranjeira, Lígia Carreira, Vanessa Denardi Antoniassi Baldissera, Maria Fernanda do Prado Tostes, Viviani Camboin Meireles, Rosella Santoro Ageno, Maria Aparecida Salci","doi":"10.1111/hex.70409","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Introduction</h3>\n \n <p>The majority of those infected with COVID-19 undergo a brief duration of clinical illness. In certain instances, symptoms endure for months or years after the initial viral exposure—a condition characterized as Long COVID (LC). The experience of this illness remains largely unexplored as it has only recently surfaced. This study aims to understand the repercussions of persistent respiratory post-COVID symptoms in Brazilian adults 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>A constructivist grounded theory study was employed. Data were collected through individual interviews with adults with persistent respiratory symptoms of Long COVID in Brazil. Data collection took place between September 2023 and February 2024. Data analysis was performed on a constant comparative basis and concurrent with data collection to understand the findings.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Twenty-four individuals (12 females, 12 males) with a median age of 43.29 ± 9.09 years participated. The data analysis generated a central category—living with the long-term effects of COVID-19: breathlessness pervades everything—around which three categories emerged: (1) imbalance between life before and after being infected by COVID-19; (2) living with acute post-COVID respiratory symptoms; and (3) struggling with persistent post-COVID respiratory symptoms.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusion</h3>\n \n <p>Our analysis of the perceived needs of individuals with Long COVID underscores the urgent necessity for legislative reform to acknowledge LC as a disability that requires clear diagnostic criteria. Approaches to treatment and rehabilitation are required to evaluate the extent to which functioning and disability improve. Lastly, this study highlights the complex problems encountered by individuals with Long COVID, including employment uncertainties, everyday tasks and social relationships.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":55070,"journal":{"name":"Health Expectations","volume":"28 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12456354/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Health Expectations","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hex.70409","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction

The majority of those infected with COVID-19 undergo a brief duration of clinical illness. In certain instances, symptoms endure for months or years after the initial viral exposure—a condition characterized as Long COVID (LC). The experience of this illness remains largely unexplored as it has only recently surfaced. This study aims to understand the repercussions of persistent respiratory post-COVID symptoms in Brazilian adults 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods

A constructivist grounded theory study was employed. Data were collected through individual interviews with adults with persistent respiratory symptoms of Long COVID in Brazil. Data collection took place between September 2023 and February 2024. Data analysis was performed on a constant comparative basis and concurrent with data collection to understand the findings.

Results

Twenty-four individuals (12 females, 12 males) with a median age of 43.29 ± 9.09 years participated. The data analysis generated a central category—living with the long-term effects of COVID-19: breathlessness pervades everything—around which three categories emerged: (1) imbalance between life before and after being infected by COVID-19; (2) living with acute post-COVID respiratory symptoms; and (3) struggling with persistent post-COVID respiratory symptoms.

Conclusion

Our analysis of the perceived needs of individuals with Long COVID underscores the urgent necessity for legislative reform to acknowledge LC as a disability that requires clear diagnostic criteria. Approaches to treatment and rehabilitation are required to evaluate the extent to which functioning and disability improve. Lastly, this study highlights the complex problems encountered by individuals with Long COVID, including employment uncertainties, everyday tasks and social relationships.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

长期存在持续呼吸道症状的巴西成年人急性感染后12个月的定性研究

大多数COVID-19感染者会经历短暂的临床疾病。在某些情况下，症状在最初的病毒暴露后持续数月或数年，这种情况被称为长COVID （LC）。这种疾病的经历在很大程度上仍未被探索，因为它只是最近才浮出水面。本研究旨在了解巴西成年人在SARS-CoV-2感染后12个月持续出现呼吸道covid后症状的影响。方法：采用建构主义扎根理论研究。通过对巴西长冠状病毒持续呼吸道症状的成年人进行个人访谈收集数据。数据收集于2023年9月至2024年2月期间进行。数据分析是在不断比较的基础上进行的，并与数据收集同时进行，以了解研究结果。结果：24例患者（女12例，男12例），中位年龄43.29±9.09岁。数据分析产生了一个中心类别——生活在COVID-19的长期影响中：呼吸困难无处不在——围绕这个类别出现了三个类别：(1)感染COVID-19之前和之后的生活不平衡；(2)有急性肺炎后呼吸道症状者；(3)与持续的covid后呼吸道症状作斗争。结论：我们对长冠状病毒感染者感知需求的分析强调了立法改革的紧迫性，以承认LC是一种需要明确诊断标准的残疾。需要采取治疗和康复方法来评估功能和残疾改善的程度。最后，本研究强调了长COVID个体遇到的复杂问题，包括就业不确定性、日常任务和社会关系。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Health Expectations 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

9.40%

发文量

251

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Health Expectations promotes critical thinking and informed debate about all aspects of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in health and social care, health policy and health services research including: • Person-centred care and quality improvement • Patients'' participation in decisions about disease prevention and management • Public perceptions of health services • Citizen involvement in health care policy making and priority-setting • Methods for monitoring and evaluating participation • Empowerment and consumerism • Patients'' role in safety and quality • Patient and public role in health services research • Co-production (researchers working with patients and the public) of research, health care and policy Health Expectations is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal publishing original research, review articles and critical commentaries. It includes papers which clarify concepts, develop theories, and critically analyse and evaluate specific policies and practices. The Journal provides an inter-disciplinary and international forum in which researchers (including PPIE researchers) from a range of backgrounds and expertise can present their work to other researchers, policy-makers, health care professionals, managers, patients and consumer advocates.