AUTHOR=Neto Ricardo Bezerra Duarte , Reis Luis Felipe Fonseca , Ferreira Arthur de Sá , Alexandre Dângelo José de Andrade , Almeida Renato Santos de 

TITLE=Hospital admission is associated with disability and late musculoskeletal pain in individuals with long COVID

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/rehabilitation-sciences/articles/10.3389/fresc.2023.1186499

DOI=10.3389/fresc.2023.1186499

ISSN=2673-6861

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>The acute clinical repercussions of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been widely studied. However, the possible late repercussions of long COVID have not yet been well defined in the literature.</p></sec><sec><title>Objectives</title><p>To identify the presence of pain and musculoskeletal disability in patients with Long COVID and also to identify predictive factors for pain intensity in this population.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>In this cross-sectional and retrospective observational study individuals with Long COVID symptoms were included. It was collected musculoskeletal disability measures, data from patient-related outcome measures and variables from a COVID-19 outpatient service database. Associations and sub-group analyses were performed considering the variables pain, disability and hospitalization. Linear regression was performed to identify predictive factors for pain intensity in Long COVID patients.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>We evaluated 195 patients and most of them (57%) presented musculoskeletal pain in one area of the body. Pain sub-group presented worse disability indices and worse clinical course during hospitalization. Hospitalized patients presented worse disability indices comparing to non-hospitalized. Significant correlations were found between pain and days of non-invasive oxygen support (<italic>r</italic> = 0.21; <italic>p</italic> = 0.003); days in intensive care unit (<italic>r</italic> = 0.22; <italic>p</italic> = 0.002) and days in invasive mechanical ventilation (<italic>r</italic> = 0.35; <italic>p</italic> = 0.001). Hospitalized individuals showed a higher chance of presenting late musculoskeletal pain (OR = 1.42: 95%CI 1.09–2.04). Days in intensive care unit (<italic>β</italic> = 0,234: <italic>P</italic> = 0,001) and days in invasive mechanical ventilation (<italic>β</italic> = 0.764: <italic>P</italic> = 0.001) were predictors of pain intensity [F(2,192) = 18.559; <italic>R</italic><sup>2</sup> = 0.231; <italic>p</italic> = 0.001].</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Individuals with Long COVID presented musculoskeletal pain and disability. Hospitalized patients showed a greater chance of having musculoskeletal pain. Days in intensive care unit and days in invasive mechanical ventilation were predictors of late musculoskeletal pain intensity.</p></sec>