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More than half of people who recover from COVID-19 still report fatigue 10 weeks later, regardless of the severity of their initial infection, an observational study published on November 9 in PLOS One found.
Led by researchers at Trinity College Dublin, the study involved taking blood samples and administering the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFQ-11) assessment to 128 patients visiting a post-ambulatory care clinic. coronavirus at St. Hospital The CFQ-11 rates fatigue on a scale of 9 to 63 based on a nine-item questionnaire, with a higher score indicating greater fatigue.
Sixty-seven of 128 participants (52.3%) reported fatigue, a common symptom of acute COVID-19 infection, a median of 10 weeks after recovery, while 54 (42.2%) reported declared having regained their full health.
According to the CFQ-11 case definition, 67 of 128 participants (52.3%) met the criteria for fatigue, with an average score of 20. While participants’ levels of physical and psychological fatigue after COVID-19 were higher than those in the general population, they were lower than scores for chronic fatigue syndrome, a complex disease causing extreme fatigue for at least 6 months unrelated to an underlying disease.
Almost a third had not returned to work
Prior to their illness, 105 participants (82%) had worked outside the home, but 33 (31%) of them had still not returned to work at the time of their participation in studies. “This is of particular concern, given that it is recommended that the return to work of post-viral infection take place after four weeks to avoid deconditioning,” the researchers wrote.
Seventy-one of 128 patients (55%) had been hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19, 35 (49%) of them receiving the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine and 6 (8.5%) of this subgroup also receiving the corticosteroid prednisolone.
There was no association between persistent fatigue and the need for hospitalization, supplemental oxygen, intensive care, or laboratory biomarker concentrations of inflammation or cell turnover. However, women and those previously diagnosed with depression or anxiety or who reported using antidepressants made up a disproportionate number of people with persistent fatigue.
Of the 128 patients, 66 (51.6%) were healthcare workers, but there was no association between work and lasting fatigue. “The large number of healthcare workers in our cohort reflects the overall demographics of the Irish data and our institution, where 50% of positive SARS-CoV-2 cases involved healthcare workers,” said the authors. “The high proportion of healthcare workers infected with COVID-19, not only in our cohort but internationally, means that it will have a significant impact on healthcare systems.
The average age of the participants was 49.5 years; the results of the study were independent of age.
Impairment of the quality of life, of the functioning of the health system
The authors noted that the rates of persistent fatigue in the study were much higher than those reported in a 2006 study of patients after recovery from Epstein-Barr virus, Q fever, or Ross River virus. , but a 2009 study reported that 40% of patients had fatigue 1 year after recovery from an infection with the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
“A long burden of post-infection fatigue will adversely affect quality of life and have a significant impact on individuals, employers and health systems,” the authors said. “This study highlights the importance of assessing those recovering from COVID-19 for symptoms of severe fatigue, regardless of the severity of the initial illness, and may identify a group that merits further study and investigation. early intervention. “
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