COVID-19 Duration in Industrial and Healthcare Workers of Different Age and with Varied Physiological Workload

Abstract

Introduction: Establishing age-specific human vulnerability to viral infections is one of the key issues in studying the age dynamics of human health and longevity. Objective: To analyze relationships between the age and occupational physiological load of workers and the duration of COVID-19 infection. Materials and methods: We have analyzed duration of the coronavirus disease 2019 in 2,831 cases registered among industrial and healthcare workers in 2021 to 2023 using SPSS 11.5. The duration (hours) of fatigue per working week was considered as a physiological cost of work. Results: The mean duration of the disease in female and male industrial workers was 22.27 ± 1.52 days and 18.08 ± 0.67, respectively. In healthcare, it was 22.37 ± 0.92 days in women and 21.15 ± 1.43 days in men. The link between age and COVID-19 duration was found only in workers aged 20 to 49 years; the annual increment in duration was 0.25 days in women and 0.20 days in men. The disease lasting for more than 22 days was associated with the increased duration of the state of fatigue. Concomitant diseases, such as arterial hypertension, obesity and diabetes, prolonged the course of COVID-19 infection by 1.3 to 6.4 days. Conclusion: The findings showed increased COVID-19 duration in workers aged 20 to 49 years. Those who had been sick for more than 22 days had a higher physiological cost of occupational stress manifested by a longer state of fatigue, which should be considered as the most important symptom of post-COVID syndrome.