Post-COVID-19 Syndrome in Egyptian Healthcare Staff: Highlighting the Carers Sufferings
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Heba Mohamed Tawfik 1 2 * , Hassan Mohamed Shaaban 3, Ahmed Mohamed Tawfik 4
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1 Senior Lecturer and Consultant of Geriatrics and Gerontology at Faculty of Medicine, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, EGYPT2 Member of Ain-Shams Ageing Research Center, Ain-Shams Cognitive Training Lab, Cairo, EGYPT3 Pediatric and Neonatology Resident at the Ministry of Health and Population, Emergency Room and Sports Medicine Physician at the American University in Cairo, Cairo, EGYPT4 Lecturer and Consultant of Internal Medicine and Nephrology at Faculty of Medicine, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, EGYPT* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represents a devastating crisis continuing for more than a year up till now with new emerging presentations and complications every now and then.
Aim: to spot the light on long-term symptoms in healthcare staff who are the first defence line in this pandemic and whose medical and psychological sufferings are underrepresented in studies.
Methods: 120 male and female participants working in Ain-Shams University and Ministry of health and population hospitals who had been infected with COVID-19 virus at least 3 months ago were recruited. Presenting symptoms, staging, medications, symptoms 1 month and more than 3 months after infection were recorded.
Results: The study participants aged between 23 and 62 years. fever was the most common presentation 57.5% followed by body aches in 44.2% and then anosmia in 41.7% of participants. Cough, dyspnea, fatigue and diarrhea were present in 37.5%, 33.3%, 35% and 19.2% respectively. Facial palsy and transient ischemic attack were presented each in one participant. Five participants experienced myocardial and pulmonary infarctions. Still 26.7% and 33.3% had dyspnea and fatigue after 3 months, 3 participants received antidepressants, 4 had memory problems. Parosmia, hair loss, oral ulcers and syncopal attacks emerged months after recovery. Odds ratio for symptoms after 3 months was 2.4 higher in participants aged ≥ 35 years.
Conclusion: COVID-19 infection is unique in presentation and long-term symptoms which needs further large number of studies. Even young people and those with mild disease experience long term problems.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Original Article

ELECTRON J GEN MED, 2021, Volume 18, Issue 3, Article No: em291

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/10838

Publication date: 15 Apr 2021

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