Long COVID 19 – Persistent and longitudinal symptoms in covid infected health care personnel

Abstract

Background: Worldwide health-care personnel are dealing with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at various levels. From fears of protecting themselves and their family while treating COVID patients to succumbing to COVID infection themselves, they are at the receiving end of divergent ramifications of COVID infection. One such aspect that is less known is the long-haul manifestations of COVID infection in health-care workers (HCWs). Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the persisting symptoms in HCWs who had recovered from COVID-19 and to investigate the associated factors contributing to the persistent symptoms. Settings and Design: It was a longitudinal, follow-up study of HCWs who had recovered from acute COVID infection but have lingering symptoms workers in a medical college hospital. Materials and Methods: HCWs were evaluated using standardized questionnaires that included sociodemographic, clinical variables, and persistence of post-COVID symptoms. Health-Related Quality of Life Scale was used to evaluate the quality of life. After detailed clinical evaluation, appropriate and relevant investigations were done where necessary. The data were statistically analyzed using Microsoft Excel Sheet and Stata 14.1 version. Results: The most common manifestations were fatigue, generalized weakness, fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, and palpitations. In the majority, health-related quality of life was affected. Respiratory and cardiovascular systems were most affected, followed by the central nervous system. Conclusion: Patients with COVID 19 infection develop diverse set of symptoms that evolve over time, with infected HCWs being no exception. Recognizing these persisting and ongoing symptoms is the first step taken toward addressing and alleviating them. This highlights that care of COVID patients does not conclude at hospital discharge. Long-term follow-up of these cases is essential in identifying and managing the sequelae of COVID infection. With the growing population recovering from COVID infection, it is imperative to focus on the prolonged effects of COVID infection.