The following is a summary of “COVID-19 and long-term impact on symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life in Costa Rica: the RESPIRA cohort study,” published in the June 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Barboza-Solis et al.
Concerns about long-term COVID-19 effects highlight the need for prospective studies comparing infected individuals to healthy controls to isolate COVID-19’s unique impact.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the long-term effects of COVID-19 on HRQoL and symptoms in a population of Costa Rican through the RESPIRA study.
They involved 641 individuals with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 and 947 matched controls from the general population. Antibody tests confirmed infection upon enrollment, with symptoms monitored monthly for six months. At the six-month mark (between 2 to 6 months post-diagnosis for cases and 6 months post-enrollment for controls), the SF-36 was used to assess HRQoL and Self-Perceived Health Change, and three Mental Health Inventory (MHI) items for brain fog. In a regression analysis controlling for various factors, researchers examined SF-36, MHI, and self-perceived health changes, with sensitivity analyses confirming the results.
The result showed a higher frequency of joint pain (2.0%), chest tightness (1.2%), and skin problems (0.8%) in COVID-19 cases compared to controls (0.9%, 0.4%, and 0.2%). Additionally, COVID-19 cases reported a lower HRQoL across all measured aspects compared to controls. This difference was quantified as a 12.4 percentage point decrease [95% CI: 9.4-14.6] in self-reported health compared to the prior year. Furthermore, cases experienced more significant physical limitations 8.0% increase [95%CI: 4.2, 11.5], reduced vitality 7.3% [95%CI: 3.5, 10.5] increase, and more brain fog 6.0% [95%CI: 2.4, 9.0] increased compared to controls with similar characteristics. Some controls later identified as having undiagnosed COVID-19 through antibody tests displayed HRQoL scores identical to those who remained antibody-negative. The impact of COVID-19 on HRQoL and specific symptoms was greater among women and individuals with moderate or severe illness.
Investigators concluded that unvaccinated individuals with PCR-confirmed COVID-19, especially those with severe illness or women, suffered lasting reductions in HRQoL for up to 2 years after diagnosis, while mildly symptomatic cases appeared to avoid such long-term consequences.
Source: bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-09450-6