TY  - JOUR
IS  - 22
A1  - Izquierdo Condoy, Juan Sebastian
A1  - Fernandez-Naranjo, Raul
A1  - Vasconez-González, Eduardo
A1  - Cordovez, Simone
A1  - Tello-De-la-Torre, Andrea
A1  - Paz, Clara
A1  - Delgado-Moreira, Karen
A1  - Carrington, Sarah
A1  - Viscor, Ginés
A1  - Ortiz-Prado, Esteban
N2  - Background: Several reports from around the world have reported that some patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have experienced a range of persistent or new clinical symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. These symptoms can last from weeks to months, impacting everyday functioning to a significant number of patients. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis based on an online, self-reporting questionnaire was conducted in Ecuador from April to July 2022. Participants were invited by social media, radio, and TV to voluntarily participate in our study. A total of 2103 surveys were included in this study. We compared socio-demographic variables and long-term persisting symptoms at low (<2500 m) and high altitude (>2500 m). Results: Overall, 1100 (52.3%) responders claimed to have Long-COVID symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most of these were reported by women (64.0%); the most affected group was young adults between 21 to 40 years (68.5%), and most long-haulers were mestizos (91.6%). We found that high altitude residents were more likely to report persisting symptoms (71.7%) versus those living at lower altitudes (29.3%). The most common symptoms were fatigue or tiredness (8.4%), hair loss (5.1%) and difficulty concentrating (5.0%). The highest proportion of symptoms was observed in the group that received less than 2 doses. Conclusions: This is the first study describing post-COVID symptoms? persistence in low and high-altitude residents. Our findings demonstrate that women, especially those aging between 21?40, are more likely to describe Long-COVID. We also found that living at a high altitude was associated with higher reports of mood changes, tachycardia, decreased libido, insomnia, and palpitations compared to lowlanders. Finally, we found a greater risk to report Long-COVID symptoms among women, those with previous comorbidities and those who had a severer acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Y1  - 2022///
TI  - Long COVID at Different Altitudes: A Countrywide Epidemiological Analysis
AV  - public
JF  - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
ID  - uninipr4912
KW  - COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; long-COVID; sequalae; symptoms; Latin America; high altitude
UR  - http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214673
VL  - 19
SN  - 1660-4601
ER  -