Post-COVID-19 syndrome, who at risk and why: an insight from Qatar 2022

Abstract

Background: Despite the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, many people experience post-COVID-19 syndrome, which negatively impacts their health and function. This condition has become a significant public health problem that requires immediate attention.

Objective: To study the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and predictors of post-COVID-19 Syndrome in Qatar during 2022.

Methods: An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted among COVID-19 confirmed cases from January 2022 to July 2022 in Qatar. A simple random sample was employed to include (n = 588) participants from the list of cases and invited to participate in a telephone survey. The World Health Organization's standard case definition for PCS was adopted.

Results: Out of 368, the prevalence of post-COVID-19 syndrome was 43.2% (n = 159). Most PCS cases were females (67.9%; n = 108), married (73.6%; n = 117), and university and higher educational level (83.6%; n = 133). However, 78.7% (n = 125) reported poor to moderate levels of social support. Only 30.2% (n = 48) of PCS patients had a history of chronic diseases, and 5.7% (n = 9) required hospital admission during acute illness. Among PCS cases, the most commonly reported symptoms were fatigue (75.5%), followed by anxiety (49.1%), forgetfulness (46.5%), mood alteration (45.3%), and general weakness (39.6%). The logistic regression revealed that female gender (AOR: 2.58 95%CI: 1.58-4.225, p < 0.0001), university and high educational level (AOR: 2.2, 95%CI: 1.256-3.98, p < 0.006), poor level of social support (AOR: 2.45; 95%CI: 1.55-4.13; p < 0.002), were significant predictors for PCS.

Conclusion: Post-COVID-19 syndrome may go under-recognized. More efforts are needed to raise awareness and mobilize the resources to respond to this ongoing public health problem.

Keywords: Qatar; adults; persistent symptoms; post-COVID-19 syndrome; prevalence.