Persistent Symptoms and Associated Risk Factors of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in Minia, Upper Egypt, 2025, Bassem et al.

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SNT Gatchaman

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Persistent Symptoms and Associated Risk Factors of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in Minia, Upper Egypt
Bassem, Asmaa; Hussein, Amal; Sharawe Taha, Mohamed Ahmed; El Sayed, Salah Mohamed; Sadek, Eman Mohamed; AlRasheed, Hayam Ali; Bahaa, Mostafa M.; Kamal, Marwa

BACKGROUND
A significant number of COVID-19 survivors around the world have been reporting persistent symptoms following their recovery. Long COVID is recognized as a condition affecting not only the respiratory but also the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological, immune, and hematopoietic systems.

OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to describe persistent symptoms in COVID-19 survivors six months post-infection in Minia, Upper Egypt, and investigate associated risk factors.

METHODS
This observational cross-sectional study included 189 hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients previously diagnosed with COVID-19. Demographic data, symptom severity, comorbidities, and persistent symptoms were collected. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with long COVID, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS
In total, 68.8% of participants were women, and 83.5% of patients reported at least one ongoing symptom. The most self-reported symptoms were fatigue (73.5%) and myalgia (45.5%), followed by dyspnea (43.3%). Age was associated with an increased risk of developing long COVID (OR 1.028, 95% CI 1.003–1.054, p = 0.030). Patients who were hospitalized during the acute phase had more than twice the risks of having persistent symptoms (OR 2.384, 95% CI 1.055–5.387, p = 0.037).

CONCLUSIONS
A substantial proportion of COVID-19 survivors in Minia, Upper Egypt, continues to experience persistent symptoms, primarily constitutional and neurological manifestations. Many patients reported self-medicating with unprescribed antibiotics, highlighting a need for public awareness regarding viral infections and the risks associated with improper antibiotic use.

Link | PDF (Healthcare) [Open Access]
 
Utsikt said:
Why would you even take an antibiotic for a viral infection?
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Antibiotics are routinely handed out to people who have a viral infection presumably due a whole range of different reasons (a viral infection being misrecognised as bacterial infection, doctors generally overprescribing antibiotics due to different reasons, doctors wanting to please patients asking for antibiotics, which in this case are even available over-the-counter so doctors might think that them prescribing them might migitiaet some risks of over-the-counter use, doctors not knowing what to do in a given situation and wanting to give antibiotics a try etc). The study mentions doctors prescribing antibiotics for colds etc. The authors note that self-mediation with antibiotics is common in the region presumably due to a combiniation of the above with over-the-counter access.

I have only taken antibiotics once and that was after a doctor prescribed them to me because the doctor thought I had a bacterial infection which actually turned out to be a viral infection. I know of other people who are routinely prescribed antibiotics as soon as they visit a doctor. In the case of Covid there were a few studies looking at antibiotic use for acute Covid which might have added to an overprescription (There's plenty of cases of people being prescribed antibiotics for Covid).
 
EndME said:
I have only taken antibiotics once and that was after a doctor prescribed them to me because the doctor thought I had a bacterial infection which actually turned out to be a viral infection. I know of other people who are routinely prescribed antibiotics as soon as they visit a doctor. In the case of Covid there were a few studies looking at antibiotic use for acute Covid which might have added to an overprescription (There's plenty of cases of people being prescribed antibiotics for Covid).
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This has happened to me too. My GP was away for some reason and another GP stood in for him. I went there with some throat infection that kept recurring over several weeks. She prescribed me antibiotics. I went back later because my symptoms came back again afterwards and my GP told me this was surely viral not bacterial. So I guess this is probably not even that uncommon.
 
Utsikt said:
Why would you even take an antibiotic for a viral infection?
Click to expand...
When no help is available, people will turn to anything. This in itself makes the case that medicine should not be in the business of denying illnesses, it just forces people to do things that will harm them. And yet here we are. I suspect it's so much worse than this, but it's not as if the mind-body stuff is any less BS.

Then again about 20 years ago I had a pretty bad case of bronchitis, which is usually viral, and a physician gave me antibiotics. I also had an allergic reaction to it. Which was fun! So it wouldn't surprise me if in poorer countries this sort of thing happened a lot, where the "good old days" of physicians having a hunch and trying stuff with patients who come their way are still going strong.
 
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