Abstract:
Objective: To compare clinical-epidemiological characteristics of patients with Long covid-19 (prolonged symptoms beyond 12 weeks) with post-acute covid-19 syndrome (persistent symptoms beyond 4 weeks) in the same population in general medicine.
Methodology: Comparison of secondary data among tow previous observational, longitudinal and prospective studies: 1) patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome from March 15, 2020 to March 31, 2021; and 2) patients with Long covid-19 from March 15, 2020 to October 31, 2022, in the same population in general medicine.
Results: 27 cases of Long covid-19 and 33 of Post-acute covid-19 syndrome were included. Long covid-19 vs. Postacute covid-19 syndrome had fewer people with some type of labor specialization (15% vs. 51%; p= .003026), fewer cases of Moderate-severe severity of primary infection (30% vs. 51%; p= . 044129), and fewer General symptoms (14% [asthenia, arthralgia, malaise] vs. 36% [discomfort, asthenia, myalgia, fever, arthralgia]; p= .001337). In Long covid-19, Respiratory (27%) and ENT (20%) symptoms predominated, while in Post-acute covid-19 syndrome they were General (36%) and Respiratory (32%). In Long covid-19 there were more symptoms ENT (29% vs. 14%), Neurological (18% vs. 7%), Psychiatric (9% vs. 5%), Circulatory (4% vs. 0%), Genitourinary ( 4% vs. 0%). In post-acute covid-19, General (36% vs. 14%), Respiratory (32% vs. 27%), Digestive (5% vs. 4%), and Skin (1% vs. 9%) symptoms predominated.
Conclusion: Convalescence from covid-19 beyond 4 but less than 12 weeks, probably caused by variants of the original Wuhan virus and alpha variant, appears to be more acute, severe, general, and debilitating, and may require specialized convalescent care, while beyond 12 weeks appears to be more multi-organ and chronic, requiring long-term outpatient care
