10.28922 Persistent post-COVID-19 symptoms in a sample of Iraqi patients: Cross sectional study

Abstract

Background: Despite the total absence of symptoms from patients with confirmed recovery (negative PCR), significant number of patients continues to suffer from symptoms for a long period of time. Actually 55 long term effects have been reported by a recent meta-analysis. There is generally poverty in Iraqi literatures dealing with the problem of long term post-COVID manifestation despite the clinical experience of such problem in Iraq.

Aim of study: The current study was designed and conducted in order to evaluate post-COVID-19 long term clinical manifestation in a sample of Iraqi patients.

Patients and methods: The current cross sectional study was carried out in Al-Diwaniyah Province, Iraq in the department of Medicine/ Al-Diwaniyah Teaching hospital in addition to a private clinic of medicine form April 2021 to January 2022. Ethical consideration included verbal consent being obtained from each participant, the explanation of the objectives behind such study for all enrolled patients and approval being issued by the ethical approval committee belonging to the teaching hospital.

Results: The most common long term post COVID-19 symptom was fatigue which was recorded in 120 (80.0 %), followed by shortness of breath in 78 (52.0 %), dry irritant cough in 48 (32.0 %) and then chest pain in 24 (16.0 %). These long term manifestations were significantly more encountered in severe cases than in mild to moderate cases (p < 0.05). It was commonly to see patients with more than one symptom and most frequently fatigue with other symptom.

Conclusion: The most common long term post COVID-19 symptoms in order of frequency were fatigue, shortness of breath, dry irritant cough and chest pain.