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Long COVID-19 as an Emerging Disease and its Possible Interactions with Environmental Factors in the Amazon
23 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2022
More...Abstract
Background: The extent of long COVID-19 across the world seems uncertain, we describe and analyze symptoms and sequelae in patients with long COVID-19 up to 15 months in the Brazilian Amazon and the probable impact of biotic and abiotic environmental factors on the clinical condition of these patients.
Methods: We interviewed 300 patients with post-COVID-19 symptoms, screened based on the confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, aged 18 years or older, from September 2020 to July 2021. We performed a descriptive analysis, categorical or dichotomous variables were tested (Fisher's exact and the Mann–Whitney test), and continuous variables (Spearman correlation).
Findings: 62% of patients were female with a mean age of 47 years. Our data suggest that those who had mild COVID-19 (61%) appeared to tend to have prolonged symptoms of COVID-19; 84% had symptoms for more than three months that persisted for up to 15 months. The number of symptoms tended to increase over time (p < 0·001). 43% had symptoms that persisted and 14% developed new symptoms. Less tolerable symptoms, such as fatigue and shortness of breath, were more common in male patients with non-mild disease, and more tolerable symptoms, such as anosmia and taste changes, were more common in female patients with mild disease.
Interpretation: The clinical evolution of long COVID in the Brazilian Amazon appears to be challenging and slow. Our findings may be of great relevance for understanding the possible health consequences and clinical course of COVID-19. In addition, the differentiated Amazonian context exposes the population to environmental, socioeconomic, and genetic factors that can change the clinical profile and prognosis of the long COVID-19.
Funding: The Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES); Pará State Research Support Foundation (FAPESPA); and Secretary of Science, Technology, and Higher, Professional, and Technological Education (SECTET).
Declaration of Interest: None to declare.
Ethical Approval: This is a prospective cross-sectional observational study approved by the ethics committee for research involving human beings of the State University of Pará/UEPA (Opinion No. 4,252,664). All participants provided written informed consent
Keywords: Keywords: Long COVID-19, Amazon, Clinical features, Sequelae
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation