Evaluación clínica y calidad de vida de pacientes con sintomatología persistente tras la infección por sars-cov-2

Laburpena

Background SARS-COV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus that leads to a cytokine storm and systemic inflammation with multi-organ involvement. Subsequent symptoms after acute infection of duration greater than equal to 3 months are collectively called "post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection" (PASC). It presents a wide variety of physical and mental disorders that can be disabling. Materials and methods With the aim of determining the prevalence of PASC after SARS-CoV-2 infection, evaluating the persistent symptoms and predisposing factors, an observational study was designed in which the patients evaluated in the consultations in September 2020 until March 2022 at the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Clinical Hospital (HCUVA) in Murcia after acute hospitalization in or referred to them from Primary Care due to persistence of symptoms. Subsequently, a comprehensive questionnaire was administered to those patients who met PASC criteria with more than 12 months of evolution to evaluate quality of life and neuropsychological assessment. Findings Of the 404 patients included, a prevalence of PASC has been estimated at 26% (105 patients). The most frequent symptoms were asthenia, dyspnea, myalgia, cognitive alterations, arthralgia, headache, cough and psychological symptoms, anosmia/ageusia, chest pain, rhinorrhea, gastrointestinal discomfort, aphonia, hair loss, fever, excessive sweating, dizziness, ophthalmological alterations, skin changes and palpitations. An association has been found with the presence of PASC and age, sex, the absence of HTN, the Charlson index, the vaccination status against SARS-CoV-2, the level of care (outpatient, admission or ICU) and the Brixia and WHO scales, statistically significant. Conclusions The prevalence of PASC in the literature is lower than ours and presents heterogeneous results, probably due to disparities in vaccination, variants, comorbidities, and sample characteristics. Our patients' symptoms, in general, are similar to those reviewed in the current literature. In our study, an association of PASC with demographic factors was found, with a more favorable score on the Brixia, Charlson and WHO scales, hospital admission and the absence of vaccination. The mental and physical health of an individual with PASC can be seriously affected in the long term, as reflected in the functional scales, in the predominance of anxiety and depression levels and the cognitive alterations evaluated in the questionnaire.