PM R. 2022 Jun 21. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.12866. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: There are an increasing number of individuals with long-term symptoms of coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19); however, the prognosis for recovery of physical function and fatigue after COVID-19 is uncertain. Here we report the changes in functional recovery between 1- and 6-months after hospitalization of adults hospitalized for COVID-19 and explore the baseline factors associated with physical function recovery.
METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed of adult COVID-19 survivors 1-month and 6-months after hospital discharge. Participants completed standardized telephone interviews assessing three outcome domains: basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADLs) performance, fatigue, and general physical function (Health Assessment Questionnaire [HAQ]). Statistical analysis included t-tests for continuous measures and chi-square or Fisher’s Exact tests for categorical measures.
RESULTS: The age of participants (n = 92) ranged from 22 to 95 (54.3 ± 17.2) years. Across outcome domains, a majority (63-67%) of participants developed new ADL impairment, fatigue, or worsening HAQ severity by 1 month. Of those, 50-79% partially or fully recovered by 6 months, but 21-50% did not recover at least partially. Fifteen to 30% developed new impairment between 1-and 6-months. For those without any improvement in ADL impairments at 6 months, lower socioeconomic status was significantly more common (p = 0.01) and age ≥ 65 (p = 0.06), trending towards being more common.
CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort, a substantial proportion of the participants who developed new ADL impairment, worsening fatigue, or HAQ severity after hospitalization for COVID-19 did not recover at least partially by 6-months after discharge. Evaluating functional status one month after discharge may be important in understanding functional prognosis and recovery after hospitalization for COVID-19. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID:35726518 | DOI:10.1002/pmrj.12866
