PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS, SELF-REPORTED HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF COVID-19 SURVIVORS AFTER ICU DISCHARGE: A COHORT STUDY.*

Resumo

Objective: This study aims to investigate persistent symptoms, health satisfaction and general quality of life of COVID-19 survivors at 30, 90 and 180 days after Intensive Care Unit discharge. Method: Multicentric prospective cohort study of COVID-19 survivors discharged from eight hospitals in Curitiba – Paraná (Brazil) between September 2020 and January 2022.  Eligible COVID-19 survivors were contacted by phone. Results: Sixty-two COVID-19 survivors responded to the three follow-up moments. The most persistent symptoms were fatigue, mild dyspnea and myalgia. Myalgia showed a significant reduction from 30 days to 180 days (p = 0.034). At 30, 90 and 180 follow-up days, most patients reported “good” general quality of life (59.7%, 62.9%, 51.6%, respectively) and “satisfactory” health status (43.5%, 48.4%, 46.8%, respectively). Conclusion: COVID-19 symptoms persisted to 180 days, fatigue more commonly. Nevertheless, most COVID-19 survivors reported good general quality of life and were satisfied with their health status.