Post-COVID-19 syndrome: assessment of short- and long-term post-recovery symptoms in recovered cases in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Recent studies investigated the endurance of symptoms and occurrence of complications three months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study aims to examine the prevalence, variation, and severity of continual symptoms in the post-COVID-19 using a single-center questionnaire.

Methods: The questionnaire was distributed among population in Saudi Arabia who recovered from COVID-19 between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

Results: A total of 744 participants completed the questionnaire, 318 (42.8%) recovered less than 3 months, 75 (10.1%) recovered 3-6 months, while 351 (47.2%) recovered more than 6 months. About half of the participants 353 (47.5%) had incessant symptoms and of those patients, more than half had two or more symptoms. Common symptoms included fatigue 189 (25.4%), headache 118 (15.9%), and myalgia 63 (8.5%). Of the participants, 189 (21.4%) experienced continual symptoms including anxiety in 98 (13.2%) and depression in 70 (9.5%).

Conclusion: The current study showed a high proportion of individuals with long-COVID-19 symptoms. Thus, proper assessment of the individuals in the post-recovery period can guide the patients to the relevant clinics for rehabilitation. Moreover, there is a great importance to decrease COVID-19 infection, populations should be targeted to boost vaccine efficiency.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Infection; Pandemic; Post recovery; Saudi Arabia; Symptoms.