Prevalence of Fatigue and Reduced Functional Status One Year Post-COVID 19 Infection

Abstract

Background: Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in India was reported on January 27, 2020. The term long-covid is used when the patients suffer from symptoms even after recovering from covid-19. Covid-19 has a major impact on the functional status of individuals who had suffered from it. Similarly, fatigue is considered a major symptom of covid-19 as well as long covid. Participants: 101 participants (46 males and 55 females, mean age=38.07±15.807 years) were included in the study. It was essential that all participants should have contacted the infection one year prior to the study. Patients with known functional disabilities and known illnesses likely to progress and limit physical ability were excluded from the study. Study design: Cross-sectional study, online survey Procedure: All the individuals who had recovered from covid-19 infection almost one-year prior were contacted and were asked to fill out an online questionnaire. Fatigue was assessed using the chalder fatigue scale and functional status was assessed using a questionnaire. Based on the answers, the grades were allotted according to the post-covid-functional status scale. Results: Most of the participants (28.71%) had negligible functional limitation (Grade 1), 25.74% had slight limitation (Grade 2), 6.93% had moderate limitation (Grade 3), 4.95% had severe limitation (Grade 4), 33.67% participants had no limitation (Grade 0) and almost 38.61% of participants reported post-covid-19 fatigue one year after contracting the infection. Conclusion: This study indicates that there is a prevalence of fatigue and reduced functional status one year post-covid 19. It also suggests that the long-term effects of covid-19 infection are anticipated in covid-19 survivors. KEYWORDS: COVID-19, Long Covid, Post Covid Functional Status Scale, Chalder Fatigue Scale.