Post-Coronavirus Disease 2019 Effects in an Active University Population: A Within-Campus Cross-Sectional Study at a Major Educational Institution

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the associations among post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevalence; risk factors and comorbidities have not been firmly established within a university outpatient population.

Patients and Methods

Records from 881 COVID-19 outpatient patients (504 females [57.9%] and 366 males [42.07%]), most of whom were between 30 and 40 years of age (mean=37.3 years old; 95% CI, 36.5-38.2), with initial infection data from February 2020 to August 2022 were reviewed once, whereas the survey took place during 2 different moments during the pandemic. The first period (April 20, 2021, to June 21, 2021) yielded 279 responses, whereas in the second period (June 23, 2021, to October 4, 2021), 602 responses were recorded. The instrument used contained 20 questions across 3 main domains: general information, data related to infection and adverse effects, and service satisfaction experience.

Results

All the patients were positive for immunoglobulin G antibodies against nucleocapsid by the third week. Post-COVID-19 symptoms arose at least 2 weeks after recovery from the initial illness; 654 individuals reported at least one symptom after the acute COVID-19 period, for a post-COVID-19 prevalence of 74.96%. The most frequent symptoms were fatigue (84%), headache (71%), and difficulty concentrating (71%). More than 60% of participants reported at least one comorbidity, among which the most common ones were obesity (35.9%), smoking (17.5%), and hypertension (12.2%).

Conclusion

In this study, we assessed post-COVID-19 prevalence among outpatients and found that comorbidities were strongly related to consequences impacting quality of life and mental health burden.