Prevalence, risk factors, and impact of long COVID in a socially vulnerable community in Brazil: a prospective cohort study, Azambuja et al., 2024

Prevalence, risk factors, and impact of long COVID in a socially vulnerable community in Brazil: a prospective cohort study

Summary
Background
Long COVID is an emerging global public health issue. Socially vulnerable communities in low- and-middle-income countries were severely impacted by the pandemic and are underrepresented in research. This prospective study aimed to determine the prevalence of long COVID, its impact on health, and associated risk factors in one such community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Methods
A total of 710 individuals aged 18 and older, with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at least three months prior, were enrolled between November 25, 2021, and May 5, 2022. Participants were assessed via telephone or in person using a standardized questionnaire to evaluate their perception of recovery, symptoms, quality of life, and functional status.

Findings
Twenty percent of participants did not feel fully recovered, 22% experienced new or persistent symptoms, 26% had worsened functional status, 18% had increased dyspnoea, and 32% reported a worse quality of life. Persistent symptoms included headache, cough, fatigue, muscle pain, and shortness of breath. Dyspnoea during the acute phase was the strongest independent predictor of worsening outcomes. Females and individuals with comorbidities were more likely to report worse recovery, functioning, dyspnoea, and quality of life.

Interpretation
Our findings reveal a high burden of severe and persistent physical and mental health sequelae in a socially vulnerable community following COVID-19.

Funding
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Wellcome Trust Grant (222048/Z/20/Z), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC).

The Lancet Regional Health (Americas) | Open Access | Link

 

Authors and affiliations:

Pedro Azambuja,a
Leonardo S. L. Bastos,b,c
Amanda A. Batista-da-Silva,b,c
Grazielle Viana Ramos,d Pedro Kurtz,d,e,f
Carolina M. C. Dias,g
Everton P. da Silva,g
Luna E. Arouca,g
Jesus Soares,h
James J. Sejvar,h
Louise Sigfrid,i
Otavio T. Ranzani,j,k
Silvio Hamacher,b,c
Fernando A. Bozzaa,d,l,

a National Institute of Infectious Diseases Evandro Chagas, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (INI-FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
b Department of Industrial Engineering (DEI), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
c Tecgraf Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
d D’Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
e Hospital Copa Star, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
f Paulo Niemeyer State Brain Institute (IECPN), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
g Associação de Desenvolvimento Redes da Maré, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
h Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
i ISARIC Global Support Centre, Policy and Practice Research Group, Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
j Barcelona Institute for Global Health, ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
k Pulmonary Division, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
l Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), NOVA Medical School, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal