Long COVID at Different Altitudes: A Countrywide Epidemiological Analysis

Article Subjects > Biomedicine <http://repositorio.unib.org/view/subjects/uneat=5Fbm.html> Ibero-american International University > Research > Articles and Books <http://repositorio.unib.org/view/divisions/uninipr=5Fproduccion=5Fcientifica.html> Open English 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. metadata Izquierdo Condoy, Juan Sebastian; Fernandez-Naranjo, Raul; Vasconez-González, Eduardo; Cordovez, Simone; Tello-De-la-Torre, Andrea; Paz, Clara; Delgado-Moreira, Karen; Carrington, Sarah; Viscor, Ginés and Ortiz-Prado, Esteban mail UNSPECIFIED <http://repositorio.unib.org/id/eprint/4912/1/ijerph-19-14673-with-cover.pdf> (2022) Long COVID at Different Altitudes: A Countrywide Epidemiological Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (22). p. 14673. ISSN 1660-4601