Prevalence and predictors of post-COVID-19 syndrome across SARS-CoV-2 affected Saudi individuals: From acute infection to one year after recovery

Abstract

Many patients recovering from COVID-19 report persistent symptoms that debilitate their daily activities. Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) is defined as symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks after the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study aimed to collect the PCS symptoms from a sample of Saudis and residents of the Kingdom. Moreover, the predictors of PCS were assessed. One-year post-recovery from acute COVID-19, a trained researcher phoned the patients to fill out a short telephone questionnaire. They were questioned regarding the symptoms they had endured for more than three months to the end of 1-year post-recovery. Ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (OSC) symptoms and all participants' demographic and baseline clinical data were gathered via a form made on the Survey Monkey website and sent via WhatsApp to each patient's phone number (September 2020 to September 2021). Of 158 patients, 112 participants (70.9%) responded. PCS symptoms occurred in 73.2% of patients. The most frequent PCS symptoms were fatigue (37.5%), memory problems and arrhythmia (28.6%), muscle pain and hair loss (25%), sleep problems (21.4%), difficulty breathing (20.5%), headache and loss of smell (17.9%), and loss of concentration and bone pain (15.2%). The severity of the OSC increased the duration of most PCS symptoms. Furthermore, our investigation discovered that female sex, comorbidities, including diabetes and hypertension, long-term oxygen treatment after acute COVID-19, and obesity may all have an influence on PCS. In conclusion, the most common PCS symptoms were tiredness, cognitive issues, and muscular soreness. PCS predictors were female gender and adiposity.