TY - JOUR
T1 - Determinants of post-COVID-19 symptoms among adults aged 55 or above with chronic conditions in primary care
T2 - data from a prospective cohort in Hong Kong
AU - Zhang, Dexing
AU - Chung, Vincent Chi-Ho
AU - Chan, Dicken Cheong-Chun
AU - Xu, Zijun
AU - Zhou, Weiju
AU - Tam, King Wa
AU - Lee, Rym Chung-Man
AU - Sit, Regina Wing-Shan
AU - Mercer, Stewart W
AU - Wong, Samuel Yeung-Shan
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The funder has no role in study design, collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing of the report; and the decision to submit the report for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Zhang, Chung, Chan, Xu, Zhou, Tam, Lee, Sit, Mercer and Wong.
PY - 2023/5/5
Y1 - 2023/5/5
N2 - BACKGROUND: Primary care patients, especially those with an older age, are one of the most vulnerable populations for post-COVID-19 symptoms. Identifying predictors of post-COVID symptoms can help identify high-risk individuals for preventive care.METHODS: Out of 977 primary care patients aged 55 years or above with comorbid physical and psychosocial conditions in a prospective cohort in Hong Kong, 207 patients infected in the previous 5-24 weeks were included. The three most common post-COVID-19 symptoms (breathlessness, fatigue, cognitive difficulty), which lasted beyond the 4-week acute infection period, were assessed using items from the COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRS), together with other self-reported symptoms. Multivariable analyses were conducted to identify predictors of post-acute and long COVID-19 symptoms (5-24 weeks after infection).RESULTS: The 207 participants had a mean age of 70.8 ± 5.7 years, 76.3% were female, and 78.7% had ≥2 chronic conditions. In total, 81.2% reported at least one post-COVID symptom (mean: 1.9 ± 1.3); 60.9, 56.5 and 30.0% reported fatigue, cognitive difficulty, and breathlessness respectively; 46.1% reported at least one other new symptom (such as other respiratory-related symptoms (14.0%), insomnia or poor sleep quality (14.0%), and ear/nose/throat symptoms (e.g., sore throat) (10.1%), etc.). Depression predicted post-COVID-19 fatigue. The female sex predicted cognitive difficulty. Receiving fewer vaccine doses (2 doses vs. 3 doses) was associated with breathlessness. Anxiety predicted a higher overall symptom severity level of the three common symptoms.CONCLUSION: Depression, the female sex, and fewer vaccine doses predicted post-COVID symptoms. Promoting vaccination and providing intervention to those at high-risk for post-COVID symptoms are warranted.
AB - BACKGROUND: Primary care patients, especially those with an older age, are one of the most vulnerable populations for post-COVID-19 symptoms. Identifying predictors of post-COVID symptoms can help identify high-risk individuals for preventive care.METHODS: Out of 977 primary care patients aged 55 years or above with comorbid physical and psychosocial conditions in a prospective cohort in Hong Kong, 207 patients infected in the previous 5-24 weeks were included. The three most common post-COVID-19 symptoms (breathlessness, fatigue, cognitive difficulty), which lasted beyond the 4-week acute infection period, were assessed using items from the COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRS), together with other self-reported symptoms. Multivariable analyses were conducted to identify predictors of post-acute and long COVID-19 symptoms (5-24 weeks after infection).RESULTS: The 207 participants had a mean age of 70.8 ± 5.7 years, 76.3% were female, and 78.7% had ≥2 chronic conditions. In total, 81.2% reported at least one post-COVID symptom (mean: 1.9 ± 1.3); 60.9, 56.5 and 30.0% reported fatigue, cognitive difficulty, and breathlessness respectively; 46.1% reported at least one other new symptom (such as other respiratory-related symptoms (14.0%), insomnia or poor sleep quality (14.0%), and ear/nose/throat symptoms (e.g., sore throat) (10.1%), etc.). Depression predicted post-COVID-19 fatigue. The female sex predicted cognitive difficulty. Receiving fewer vaccine doses (2 doses vs. 3 doses) was associated with breathlessness. Anxiety predicted a higher overall symptom severity level of the three common symptoms.CONCLUSION: Depression, the female sex, and fewer vaccine doses predicted post-COVID symptoms. Promoting vaccination and providing intervention to those at high-risk for post-COVID symptoms are warranted.
KW - Humans
KW - Adult
KW - Female
KW - Aged
KW - Male
KW - COVID-19/epidemiology
KW - Hong Kong/epidemiology
KW - Prospective Studies
KW - Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
KW - Chronic Disease
KW - Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/epidemiology
KW - Dyspnea/etiology
KW - Fatigue/etiology
KW - Primary Health Care
U2 - 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1138147
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1138147
M3 - Article
C2 - 37213637
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 11
JO - Frontiers in public health
JF - Frontiers in public health
M1 - 1138147
ER -