Changes in functional capacity after one year of hospitalization for COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: Monitoring the long-term consequences of COVID-19 and its impact on different aspects is essential. Objective: To assess functional capacity and associated factors up to one year after hospital discharge in COVID-19 survivors. Methods: This cross-sectional study included individuals aged 18 years or older, residents of a medium city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with a laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19, who required hospitalization. Data collection was performed through home visits, face-to-face interviews, and physical tests, which assessed a set of sociodemographic, clinical, and health characteristics. The primary outcomes were functional status and muscle strength assessed by the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status Scale and the Medical Research Council Score. Analyses were performed using crude and adjusted logistic regression models. Results: Of the 160 individuals, the majority were female (53.1%), white (71.9%), with a mean age of 64 years. Functional limitations were identified in 67.5% (95%CI 46.2-70.2) of the sample, with 50.9% (95%CI: 41.8-60.0) presenting changes in muscle strength, 10% of which (95%CI 5.8-17.0) presented muscle weakness. An association was found between greater functional limitation and diagnosis of respiratory diseases (p = 0.002). Changes in muscle strength were associated with female gender (p = 0.009), diagnosis of sarcopenia (p = 0.036), smoking (p = 0.022) and need for orotracheal intubation (p = 0.009). Conclusion: It was observed that, within one year after hospital discharge, individuals presented significant functional limitations, with more than half presenting some type of muscle strength impairment and a portion showing signs of muscle weakness.