Prevalence and pattern of Post Covid-19 symptoms in recovered patients of Delhi: A Population-Based study

Background Post-coronavirus disease (COVID) is widely reported but the data of Post COVID-19 after infection with the Omicron variant is limited. This prospective study was conducted to determine the prevalence, pattern, and duration of symptoms related to Covid-19 recovered patients. Methods: Adults (>18 years old) in 11 districts of Delhi who had recovered from Covid-19 were followed up at 3 months and 6 months post-recovery. Results: The study found that the participants had a mean age of 42.07 years, with a standard deviation of 14.89. Additionally, a significant proportion of the participants (79.7%) experienced post-Covid symptoms. The participants elicited a history of Joint Pain (36%), Persistent dry cough (35.7%), anxiousness (28.4%) and shortness of breath (27.1%). The other symptoms reported were persistent fatigue (21.6%), persistent headache (20%), forgetfulness (19.7%) and weakness in limbs (18.6%). The longest duration of symptom was observed in participants reporting anxiousness (138.75 ±54.14) followed by fatigue (137.57±48.33), shortness of breath (131.89±60.21) and joint pain/swelling (131.59±58.76). During the first follow-up, 2.2% of participants had an abnormal ECG reading, while no abnormalities were reported during the second follow-up. Additionally, 4.06% of participants had abnormal chest X-ray findings during the first follow-up, with this number decreasing to 2.16% during the second follow-up. Conclusion: Our study concluded that the clinical symptoms persist in participants until 6 months and a multi-system involvement is seen in the post-COVID period. Thus, the findings necessitate long-term, regular follow-ups.