Saeed Atif, Khan Marium Nadeem, Kamran Momina, Singla Shivam, Chikkala Sri Teja, Malik Moeed Akbar, Baidoo Joseph Benjamin, Ullah Farhan, Singla Bhavna, Ali Sara, Alam Fatima
Emergency Medicine, Ungoofaaru Regional Hospital, Ungoofaaru, MDV.
Medicine, Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, PAK.
Cureus. 2025 Jun 9;17(6):e85666. doi: 10.7759/cureus.85666. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a high number of survivors with persistent symptoms, such as dyspnea, long after recovery. It is important to understand the association between the severity of the initial COVID-19 infection and the persistence of dyspnea to guide patient management and rehabilitation planning. Methods This cross-sectional analysis involved adult patients who had recovered from laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection. Patients were stratified into groups by the severity of their acute infection (mild, moderate, severe) based on the WHO Clinical Progression Scale. Persistent dyspnea was measured with a validated dyspnea scale. Statistical analysis was conducted to examine the association between COVID-19 severity and severity of dyspnea, adjusting for potential confounders. Results A total of 385 individuals took part in the study, where 217 people (56%) fell within the 30 to 39 years age bracket, while female participants constituted 52% (200 individuals). The respondents were primarily widowed people who had received secondary education (n = 119, 31%, and n = 118, 31% respectively). A total of 141 participants were current smokers, while 145 participants reported never smoking. Among the study participants, 73 experienced asthma (19%), and hypertension affected 68 individuals (18%). The COVID-19 severity of patients spanned from mild (n = 144, 37%) to critical (n = 78, 20%), and 51% of patients received hospital care (n = 197). Research findings indicated that dyspnea symptoms and advancement in the disease are closely linked (r = 0.521, p < 0.05). People who got oxygen therapy had higher clinical scores than those who did not (p = 0.01). When comparing the ICU patients to other patients, no important differences were noticed (p = 0.05). Recovery was felt very minimally in the results. According to regression analysis, changes in the patient's clinical condition were highly associated with dyspnea, as shown by a β value of 0.521 and p < 0.001. Conclusion The intensity of COVID-19 infection strongly correlates with both the enduring nature and severity of dyspnea in adults who have recovered from the disease. Post-COVID follow-up and rehabilitation programs require strong evidence behind them to support patients who have experienced severe COVID-19 infections.
新冠疫情导致大量幸存者在康复后很长时间仍有持续症状，如呼吸困难。了解初始新冠感染的严重程度与呼吸困难的持续之间的关联，对于指导患者管理和康复计划很重要。
这项横断面分析纳入了实验室确诊的新冠感染康复后的成年患者。根据世界卫生组织临床进展量表，将患者按急性感染的严重程度（轻度、中度、重度）分层。使用经过验证的呼吸困难量表测量持续性呼吸困难。进行统计分析以检验新冠严重程度与呼吸困难严重程度之间的关联，并对潜在混杂因素进行调整。
共有385人参与了该研究，其中217人（56%）年龄在30至39岁之间，女性参与者占52%（200人）。受访者主要是接受过中等教育的丧偶者（分别为n = 119，31%和n = 118，31%）。共有141名参与者为当前吸烟者，而145名参与者报告从不吸烟。在研究参与者中，73人患有哮喘（19%），68人患有高血压（18%）。患者的新冠严重程度从轻度（n = 144，37%）到危重症（n = 78，20%）不等，51%的患者接受了住院治疗（n = 197）。研究结果表明，呼吸困难症状与疾病进展密切相关（r = 0.521，p < 0.05）。接受氧疗的人临床评分高于未接受氧疗的人（p = 0.01）。将重症监护病房患者与其他患者进行比较时，未发现重要差异（p = 0.05）。结果中康复的感觉非常轻微。根据回归分析，患者临床状况的变化与呼吸困难高度相关，β值为0.521，p < 0.001。
新冠感染的强度与从该疾病康复的成年人中呼吸困难的持续性质和严重程度密切相关。新冠后随访和康复计划需要有力的证据来支持经历过严重新冠感染的患者。
