Post-COVID Syndrome in Healthcare Workers

Introduction: Some patients with Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) disease have persistent symptoms, and information about the long-term consequences of those who have recovered is limited. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the persistent symptoms of healthcare workers after COVID-19 and the relationship between demographic and clinical characteristics of patients. Materials and Methods: Healthcare workers who had symptomatic COVID-19 that is proven by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and were diagnosed at least 12 weeks ago were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and symptoms at the time of diagnosis and that persisted >3 weeks were examined in detail using a questionnaire. The effects of COVID-19 on the participants' quality of life were investigated using the EuroQoL five-dimension five-level (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire and EuroQoL visual analog scale (EQ-VAS). Results: Of the 121 participants, the mean age was 33.5 years [22-59, standard deviation (SD)=8.23], and the mean time since their diagnoses with COVID-19 was 30.3 weeks (12.7-56.9, SD=12.6). Of the participants, 92% (n=112) were followed up as outpatients, 63% (n=77) had symptoms that lasting >3 weeks, and the most common symptoms were fatigue (n=40, 33%), loss of smell (n=27, 22.3%), and attention-deficit/concentration disorder (n=25, 20.7%). Of the 77 patients, 19 (24.6%) stated that their symptoms lasted for >24 weeks, with loss of smell as the most common symptom. Additionally, 33% of participants defined their health status as worse than before according to the EQ-5D-5L scale and 15% had a decrease of seven points or more in their EQ-VAS score. Conclusion: These results revealed that, even in young patients with mild and moderate COVID-19 infection, post-COVID-19 symptoms are at a rate that will affect their quality of life, thus health services should be planned for the rehabilitation of these patients.