Neck pain, dry eye and Sjögren’s syndrome in Latin American students during the first wave of COVID-19: Frequencies and associated factors

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionVirtual classes brought many changes to the lives of students, not only the fact of being more exposed to screens, but also because of the repercussions.AimTo determine the factors associated with suffering from neck pain, dry eye and Sjögren’s syndrome in students in Latin America during the first wave of COVID-19.MethodologyAnalytical cross-sectional study, using the COM and DEQ-5 scales, neck pain and dry eye/Sjögren’s syndrome, respectively, were measured; socio-educational variables were associated with them.DiscussionOf the 3939 students, those who lived in Panama, Chile and Bolivia were the ones who suffered the most from these pathologies. These pathologies were associated with the greater number of hours of computer use (all values p<0,001) and sex (all values p<0,002), medical students had more frequent dry eye and Sjögren’s syndrome (both p<0,031), Graduate students had more neck pain (p<0.001), but college students had less dry eye (p=0.025) and those at private universities had more neck pain (p=0.024).DiscussionImportant results of these three pathologies were found, this serves so that students can be evaluated in depth in each university, for a specialized diagnosis and try to avoid medium and long-term consequences for the constant use of electronic devices.ConclusionNeck pain, dry eye and Sjögren’s syndrome in students were associated with more hours of computer use and female sex, medical students had more frequent dry eye and Sjögren’s syndrome, graduate students had more neck pain, university students had less dry eye and those from private universities had more neck pain.