Prevalence of Post–COVID Syndrome in a Cohort of Faculty of a Medical Institute and Their Family Members : A Cross–sectional, Descriptive Study

Abstract

This chapter aims to determine the prevalence of post–COVID syndrome in a cohort of faculty working in Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical College (FRPMC), Karachi, Pakistan, and their family members. In the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection, post-COVID syndrome is becoming more widely recognized as a new clinical entity. Several research from throughout the world have established the occurrence of post-COVID symptoms; however, the frequency, intensity, and variety of post-COVID symptoms in our country has received less attention.
This cross–sectional, descriptive single–center study was carried out in a medical institute, and data was collected via a questionnaire distributed to the cohort of medical faculty and their families. This chapter included 84 patients, whohad suffered from COVID, out of which 51 (60.7%) had post–COVID symptoms, with fatigability 40 (48%), muscle pain 16 (19%), inability to continue the normal chores 12(14%), dry cough 11 (13%), breathlessness 10(12%), sleep disturbance and brain fog or difficulty in concentration 11 (13%), and hair loss 9 (11%) being the common complaints. The occurrence of the post-COVID syndrome had neither positive or negative correlation with the severity of the COVID infection. The prevalence of post-COVID symptoms is substantial in the COVID-infected population, although no identified risk factor is found. More observational studies are necessary to track the sequel of this relatively new virus, which may still be unknown, and a multidisciplinary team approach is highly necessary to meet the needs of the vulnerable post-COVID population.