Ramathibodi School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
Center for Health Promotion and Well-Being, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Oct 17;24(1):2863. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20275-5.
Patients with long COVID may experience various concomitant symptoms caused by inflammation, which affect their lives and well-being. In this study, we aimed to (1) investigate the prevalence of long COVID; (2) explore the levels of symptom severity and functional disability owing to long COVID, overall health, and their relationship; and (3) conduct exploratory factor analysis of long COVID-19 symptoms among experienced infected population in the capital of Thailand.
A cross-sectional research design was used and a sample of 337 community members with previously COVID-19 infection in Bangkok, Thailand was recruited for this study. Purposive sampling was used. Data collection was performed using an online and a paper-based questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (number, percentage), odds ratio, exploratory factor analysis, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were used for the data analysis.
The prevalence of long COVID was 32.9%. The main reported symptoms included anxiety (28.5%), fatigue (26.1%), and dyspnea (13.4%). There was a significant relationship between symptom severity and functional disability (r=0.385, p value < 0.01). Overall health was negatively correlated with symptom severity (r = - 0.291, p < .01) and functional disability (r = - 0.108, p < .05). Using principal component analysis with Promax rotation, three clusters were identified, explaining 71.44% of the total variance. The Clusters comprised (1) common symptoms of long COVID and communication, (2) fatigue, functioning, and nutritional concerns, and (3) psychosocial impacts.
The present results might help multidisciplinary care teams understand the concurrent symptoms of patients with long COVID and develop rehabilitation care programs to ease all symptoms simultaneously and improve patients' quality of life.
长新冠患者可能会出现各种炎症引起的伴随症状，这会影响他们的生活和健康。本研究旨在：（1）调查长新冠的流行情况；（2）探讨长新冠引起的症状严重程度和功能障碍、整体健康状况及其相互关系；（3）对泰国首都有过新冠感染经历的人群进行长新冠-19 症状的探索性因子分析。
采用横断面研究设计，在泰国曼谷招募了 337 名曾感染过新冠的社区成员作为研究对象。采用目的抽样法。通过在线和纸质问卷收集数据。采用描述性统计（数量、百分比）、比值比、探索性因子分析和斯皮尔曼等级相关系数进行数据分析。
长新冠的患病率为 32.9%。主要报告的症状包括焦虑（28.5%）、疲劳（26.1%）和呼吸困难（13.4%）。症状严重程度与功能障碍之间存在显著关系（r=0.385，p 值<0.01）。整体健康状况与症状严重程度（r=-0.291，p<0.01）和功能障碍（r=-0.108，p<0.05）呈负相关。采用 Promax 旋转的主成分分析，确定了三个聚类，解释了总方差的 71.44%。聚类包括：（1）长新冠的常见症状和交流；（2）疲劳、功能和营养问题；（3）心理社会影响。
本研究结果有助于多学科护理团队了解长新冠患者的伴随症状，并制定康复护理方案，同时缓解所有症状，提高患者的生活质量。
