Evaluation of the presence of long-term symptoms and quality of life in persons with COVID-19

Aim COVID-19, which was declared a global pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020, even though nearly three years have passed since the first cases, the impact of COVID-19 still continues. The aim of our study is to evaluate the long-term symptoms and prevalence of COVID-19, to determine its effect on quality of life, and to contribute to the rehabilitation and treatment processes of patients. Methods Patients diagnosed with COVİD-19 between 01.04.2020 and 31.12.2021 were evaluated at least 3 months after the diagnosis. Patients answered the questionnaire questions either face-to-face or via telephone interview. The questionnaire included demographic data, SF-36 and EQ-5D-3L scales, presenting complaints, and complaints that persisted or developed after recovery. IBM SPSS Statistics 20 was used in the calculations. Statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Results The study was carried out with 521 participants. 81% of the participants complained of the presence of post-COVID symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue and shortness of breath. Long COVID was found to significantly decrease the quality of life in both sub-dimensions of the scale. When SF-36 was compared with the norm values of the Turkish society, it was found that all participants had a significant decrease in the quality of life sub-dimensions. SF-36 and EQ-5D-3L were similarly significantly lower in female gender and advanced age group. Being vaccinated against SARS-CoV 2 has beeand improve quality n found to reduce long-term COVID symptoms of life. Conclusion COVİD-19 has significantly affected quality of life. Post-illness follow-up of people with COVID-19 is important in terms of providing medical, physical and psychosocial rehabilitation support to patients. SARS-COV 2 vaccine reduces the long-term effects of COVID. For this reason, the community should be made aware of vaccination and COVID-19 vaccination rates should be increased in the community. Key words: SARS-COV 2, Long COVID, Quality of life.