1. Post-COVID-19 Sydrome and Decrease in Health-Related Quality of Life in Kidney Transplant Recipients after SARS-COV-2 Infection—A Cohort Longitudinal Study from the North of Poland.
- Author
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Malinowska, Agnieszka, Muchlado, Marta, Ślizień, Zuzanna, Biedunkiewicz, Bogdan, Heleniak, Zbigniew, Dębska-Ślizień, Alicja, and Tylicki, Leszek
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COVID-19 pandemic , *SARS-CoV-2 , *KIDNEY transplantation , *QUALITY of life , *LONGITUDINAL method , *ALOPECIA areata - Abstract
Introduction: Patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection frequently face "Post-COVID-19 Syndrome", defined by symptoms that develop during or after COVID-19, continue for more than 12 weeks, and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis. We aimed to evaluate the presence of post-COVID-19 syndrome and its predictors in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) 6 months after the disease. Materials and Methods: A total of 67 KTR (38 m) with a mean age of 53.6 ± 14 years, 7.3 ± 6.4 years post-transplant were included in the cohort longitudinal study. Thirty-nine (58.2%) of them were hospitalized, but not one required invasive ventilation therapy. They were interviewed 6 months after being infected, with a series of standardized questionnaires: a self-reported symptoms questionnaire, the modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, EQ-5D-5L questionnaire, and EQ-VAS scale. Results: Post-COVID-19 syndrome was diagnosed in 70.1% of KTR and 26.9% of them reported at least three persistent symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue (43.3%), hair loss (31.3%), memory impairment (11.9%), muscle aches, and headaches (11.9%). Dyspnea with an mMRC scale grade of at least 1 was reported by 34.3% patients vs. 14.9% before infection; 47.8% stated that they still feel worse than before the disease. Mean EQ-VAS scores were 64.83 vs. 73.34 before infection. The persistent symptoms are more frequent in older patients and those with greater comorbidity. Conclusions: Persistent symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome are present in the majority of KTR, which highlights the need for long-term follow-up as well as diagnostic and rehabilitation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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