Cross-sectional study of self-report of health issues in patients who had recovered from moderate-severe COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

There is increasing recognition that acute coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can be followed by a period of long-term symptoms (“long COVID” or post-COVID-19 syndrome [PCS]). This study investigated health issues in patients who had recovered from moderate-severe COVID-19 in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This cross-sectional study utilized a questionnaire and telephone interviews in patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were treated in hospital between July 27 and September 15, 2021. The questionnaire gathered data on demographics, symptoms during acute COVID-19, and symptoms in the post-COVID-19 period. Logistic regression models were used to identify potential contributing factors with health issues after moderate-severe COVID-19. Health issues after moderate-severe COVID-19, similar to post-COVID-19 syndrome, were defined as the appearance of any signs or symptoms that developed during acute illness or after recovery and persisted for ≥12 weeks and could not be explained by any other medical conditions. Out of 98 individuals who completed the survey, 72 (73.5%) had symptoms after moderate-severe COVID-19. The most common symptoms were hair loss (56.1%), fatigue (42.9%), dyspnea (33.7%), sleep difficulties (26.5%), memory loss (20.4%), persistent cough (12.2%), myalgia (10.2%), muscle weakness (9.2%), palpitation (8.2%), joint pain (8.2%), and persistent sputum (6.1%). Among them, two symptoms - hair loss and fatigue - often co-occurred with dyspnea or sleep difficulties. This analysis provides the first indication of the relatively high prevalence of health issues in patients who had recovered from moderate-severe COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This could help the local health system to detect and manage health issues after moderate-severe COVID-19 in the future.