Prevalence of fatigue at one-year follow-up from the Gothenburg recovery and rehabilitation after COVID-19 and intensive care unit study

Abstract

AbstractFatigue was a commonly reported sequala after COVID-19. However, there is little literature about the prevalence and predictors of fatigue one year after Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission following COVID-19. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of fatigue and to identify the predictors prior to, and during the care period in ICU that were associated with fatigue at one year after ICU admission following COVID-19. The dependent variable, fatigue, was assessed using the Swedish version of Fatigue Assessment Scale (S-FAS), in a cohort of 105 individuals cared for at the ICU at the Sahlgrenska University hospital, Sweden during the first wave of the pandemic. The independent variables were related to demographic factors, comorbidities and complications during ICU admission following COVID-19. Fatigue was reported by 64.4% (n = 67) of the individuals. Age (odds ratio: 0.95, confidence interval: 0.92–0.99) and length of stay in the ICU (odds ratio: 1.04, confidence interval: 1.00–1.07) were statistically significant predictors of fatigue one year after ICU admission following COVID-19. The findings from this study will be important for healthcare practitioners, policy makers and the general public in planning the rehabilitation of individuals who underwent ICU care for COVID-19.