2026-04-29T08:19:10Zhttps://riubu.ubu.es/oai/request

oai:riubu.ubu.es:10259/113642026-02-16T08:59:30Zcom_10259_4725com_10259_5086com_10259_2604col_10259_4726

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 SARS-CoV-2 Long Covid Signs and symptoms Cross-sectional Brazil Covid-19 COVID-19 (Disease) Salud pública Public health 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. This work was funded by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)—grant number: 001/2023. It was also supported by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (UIDB/05704/2020 and UIDP/05704/2020) and by the Scientific Employment Stimulus—Institutional Call—[https://doi.org/10.54499/CEECINST/00051/2018/CP1566/CT0012]. 2026-02-12T10:15:09Z 2026-02-12T10:15:09Z 2025-01 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11364 10.3390/healthcare13030228 2227-9032 eng Healthcare. 2025, V. 13, n. 3, p. 228-243 https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13030228 Atribución 4.0 Internacional http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess application/pdf MDPI https://riubu.ubu.es/bitstream/10259/11364/4/Machado-healthcare_2025.pdf.jpg Hispana TEXT http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ RIUBU. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Burgos https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11364