Clinical, physical, and psychological outcomes among individuals with post COVID-19 syndrome with different functional status: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: Post-COVID-19 syndrome or long COVID is a condition characterized by symptoms that persist after the disease's infection. Objective: To compare clinical, physical, and psychological outcomes among individuals with post COVID-19 syndrome with different levels of functional status after hospitalization for COVID-19. Methods: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional and with a quantitative approach with 75 individuals with post COVID-19 syndrome after hospitalization. Individuals underwent assessment of pulmonary function, six-minute walk test (6MWT), 1-minute sit and stand test (STS1), hand grip strength (HGS) and one repetition maximum test (1RM), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Short-Form Healthy Survey (SF-36) and Post-COVID Functional Scale (PCFS). Individuals were separated according to PCFS into two groups: low (LFL) and high (HFL) functional limitation (PCFS 1-2 and PCFS 3-4, respectively). Data regarding anthropometric and clinical characteristics, hospitalization history, and occupational activity were also collected. Results: Individuals post COVID-19 syndrome with HFL presented worse score in the SF-36 in the functional capacity (p=0,01); pain (p=0,01), social aspects (p=0,01) and these individuals had a higher need for ICU admission (p=0,03) and prolonged hospitalization stays (p=0,04) compared to those with LFL. Conclusion: Individuals with post COVID-19 syndrome that reported HFL exhibit poorer quality of life concerning the domains of functional capacity, pain, and social aspects when compared to those with LFL. Additionally, HFL individuals had a higher need for ICU admission and prolonged hospitalization stays.