Artículos DIABO-TER

Self-Reported Post-COVID Symptoms at 18 Months After Infection Among Adults in Southern Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study

2026-02-16T08:59:30Z

Self-Reported Post-COVID Symptoms at 18 Months After Infection Among Adults in Southern Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study Brito, Franciele Aline Machado de; Laranjeira, Carlos; Moroskoski, Márcia; Salci, Maria Aparecida; Rossoni, Stéfane Lele; Baccon, Wanessa Cristina; Oliveira, Rosana Rosseto de; Marques, Priscila Garcia; Góes, Herbert Leopoldo de Freitas; Mello, Fernanda Fontes; Blaszczak, Flávia Renata Baldissera da Cruz; Vissoci, João Ricardo Nickenig; Puente Alcaraz, Jesús; Facchini, Luiz Augusto; Carreira, Lígia Background/Objectives: Currently, there is a limited understanding of the long-term consequences following acute COVID-19, referred to as long COVID. This cross-sectional study aims to analyze the prevalence of persistent signs and symptoms of long COVID, 18 months after primary SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults in southern Brazil. Methods: Using two national databases (the digital registry of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases), 370 individuals living in the state of Paraná (Brazil) were recruited. Data were collected through telephone interviews conducted in 2021 and 2022. Results: The overall prevalence of long COVID was 66.2% among study participants. During the acute phase of infection, the most common symptom clusters included neurological symptoms (87.0%; n = 318), followed by respiratory (82.0%; n = 301), musculoskeletal (66.0%; n = 241), digestive (50.0%; n = 184), psychological (38.0%; n = 138), and endocrine symptoms (28.0%; n = 104). In the 18 month follow-up, the main persistent symptoms were memory loss (42.7%), fatigue (32.2%), anxiety (23.5%), dyspnea (19.7%), and hair loss (19.7%). The proportion of participants with long COVID was statistically higher in females (73.9%), those with a family income below two minimum wages (94.7%), those who do not practice physical activity (83.3%), those who report poor sleep quality (93.3%), those who use long-term medication (85.9%), those who needed health care in the previous six months (87.3%), those who required professional and/or family care (79.3%), those who were in the ICU (79.0%), and those who used ventilatory support (77.5%). Conclusions: Long COVID is a complex condition that requires long-term monitoring and investment in health services due to its high prevalence and the health consequences in the population.

Prevalence and Predictors of Long Covid in a Cohort of Brazilian Adults 12 Months After Acute Infection: A Cross‐Sectional Study

2026-02-16T08:50:06Z

Prevalence and Predictors of Long Covid in a Cohort of Brazilian Adults 12 Months After Acute Infection: A Cross‐Sectional Study Covre, Eduardo Rocha; Laranjeira, Carlos; Carreira, Lígia; Höring, Carla Franciele; Góes, Herbert Leopoldo de Freitas; Baldissera, Vanessa Denardi Antoniassi; Marques, Priscila Garcia; Meireles, Viviani Camboin; Tostes, Maria Fernanda do Prado; Oliveira, Rosana Rosseto de; Paiano, Marcelle; Ageno, Rosella Santoro; Moroskoski, Márcia; Puente Alcaraz, Jesús; Vissoci, João Ricardo Nickenig; Facchini, Luiz Augusto; Salci, Maria Aparecida Introduction: Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, various reports have emerged regarding persistent symptomsassociated with Covid‐19. Nevertheless, there is insufficient data on the persistence of symptoms over time. This study sought toestimate the prevalence of persistent symptoms 12 months after Covid‐19 infection and identify predictors of long Covid inadults living in the State of Paraná, southern Brazil, according to the level of severity of Covid‐19 infection.Method: An observational and cross‐sectional survey was conducted with Brazilian adults diagnosed with Covid‐19, as assessedfrom data available in two official Covid‐19 notification databases in Brazil, using telephone interviews. Descriptive statistics,tests of associations and simple and multiple binary logistic regression analysis were used to identify predictors of long Covid.Results: In total, 1033 adults participated in the study. The overall prevalence of long Covid was 60.3% (n = 623). Prevalencewas higher in women (67.7%), people aged between 50 and 59 years (65.8%) and in individuals who received treatment in anIntensive Care Unit (ICU) during the acute phase of Covid‐19 infection (74.4%, n = 241). The risk factors associated with agreater chance of developing long Covid were: female (OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.55; 3.66), living in the Brazilian northwest healthmacro‐region (OR 2.20; 95% CI 1.21; 4.00), presenting multimorbidity (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.06; 3.28), having an average of sixsymptoms in the acute phase of Covid‐19 (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.17; 1.28) and having received treatment in an ICU (OR 4.86; 95%CI 2.83; 8.35) and inpatient ward (OR 2.45; 95% CI 1.47; 4.09)

Functional Capacity Among Brazilian Older Adults 12 Months After COVID-19 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study

2026-02-13T01:05:51Z

Functional Capacity Among Brazilian Older Adults 12 Months After COVID-19 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study de Souza, Flávia Cristina Sierra; Laranjeira, Carlos; Salci, Maria Aparecida; Höring, Carla Franciele; Góes, Herbert Leopoldo de Freitas; Baldissera, Vanessa Denardi Antoniassi; Moura, Débora; Meireles, Viviani Camboin; Prado, Maria Fernanda; Betiolli, Susanne Elero; Puente Alcaraz, Jesús; Fernandes, Carlos Alexandre Molena; Carreira, Lígia Background/Objectives: Evidence suggests that older adults who survived COVID-19 were exposed to greater functional dependence in their daily living activities. This study aims to examine the prevalence of functional dependence and associated factors among Brazilian older people with functional dependence 12 months after COVID-19 infection. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving people aged 60 years or older in the state of Paraná, Brazil. One year after notification or hospital discharge due to COVID-19, between June 2021 and March 2022, participants responded to a questionnaire via telephone call about sociodemographic data and data on functionality using the Measure of Functional Independence (FIM). The outcome variable “assessment of functional capacity” was divided into functional dependence (FIM Total < 104) and functional independence (FIM Total ≥ 104). Results: A total of 768 older adults participated, with an average age of 68.03 ± 6.8 years (range between 60 and 100). A majority of them were female (50.3%), white (46%), with low education (37.4%), had a partner (56.3%), did not live alone (72.4%), and had their own home (52.2%). The prevalence of functional dependence was 7.2%. On average, participants scored 5.4 points lower on FIM one year after COVID-19 infection compared with those in the acute phase of COVID-19 (125.5 vs. 120.1; p < 0.001). Functional dependence was higher (p < 0.05) among women when compared to men (aOR = 2.28); in people who changed their work situation due to COVID-19 when compared to those with no change (aOR = 5.27); in people with fair/poor/bad self-reported health compared to those with excellent/good health (aOR = 2.97); in people with cardiovascular symptoms compared to those without cardiovascular symptoms (aOR = 3.37); and among the most severe cases of the disease (treatment in ICU) compared to mild cases (outpatient treatment) (aOR = 10.5). Conclusions: Most participants presented functional independence 12 months after COVID-19 infection. Cases of functional dependence were influenced by multidimensional factors, including physical health, economic, and psychosocial aspects.

Combined use of two rapid tests for the conclusive diagnosis of Chagas disease: a systematic scoping review

2026-02-13T01:05:39Z

Combined use of two rapid tests for the conclusive diagnosis of Chagas disease: a systematic scoping review Ortega Arroyo, Arturo; Flores Chavez, María Delmans; Puente Alcaraz, Jesús Objective: The goal of this systematic scoping review is to collect and summarise scientific evidence regarding the validity of two simultaneous immunochromatographic tests for the conclusive diagnosis of Chagas disease. The research was informed by the following review questions: Will the use of two rapid tests be a valid method for the definitive diagnosis of Chagas disease when compared with conventional serological tests? In what type of population has the operation of two rapid tests been tried for the diagnosis of Chagas disease? What are the biomedical and public health advantages of the diagnostic method resulting from the combination of two rapid tests over the conventional serological method? Will it be a cost–benefit strategy for the diagnosis of Chagas with respect to conventional serological tests? Design: Systematic scoping review. Setting: A search of the published and unpublished literature in five databases was carried out, in order to identify, screen and select the studies included in this review. Results: 468 studies were identified, of which 46 were screened with a full-text reading, and finally, three articles were included in the review. All studies were in endemic countries with adult and paediatric populations (n=1133) and, together, they evaluated four different rapid tests. The rapid tests showed good sensitivity (97.4%–100%) and specificity (96.1%–100%) for the diagnosis of Chagas when used in combination and compared with the reference tests. Conclusions: The simultaneous use of at least two immunochromatographic rapid tests is a valid option for the definitive diagnosis of chronic Chagas in endemic rural areas, as long as there are studies that previously evaluate their performance on the areas of implementation. Therefore, this could be an alternative to the current diagnostic standard. However, additional studies are still needed in more countries in order to provide further evidence and to investigate the cost–benefit.