Long COVID among infected students and staff in Chiang Mai university, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Although COVID-19 became endemic status in September 2022, studies and monitoring of individuals infected with COVID-19 have revealed that some develop Long COVID. This study aims to describe the prevalence of Long COVID and related factors among COVID-19-infected university students and staff in Thailand. Methods This study used a retrospective cohort design to investigate Long COVID and its associated factors among university students and staff members who had previously tested positive for COVID-19 and reported their results to the University COVID-19 Reporting system between February 21 and June 30, 2022. Results The results indicated that the prevalence of Long COVID was 51.9%. Among them 92.7% had multiple symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue (65.8%), easy tiredness (59.2%), and easy tiredness after physical activity (44.7%). Multiple logistic regression showed that factors associated with Long COVID were female compared to male (aOR = 2.228, 95% CI=1.743-2.849), and aged 20-29 years compared to being under 20 years old (aOR = 1.288, 95% CI=1.005-1.650). People with comorbidities compared to those without (aOR = 1.503, 95%CI = 1.099-2.056). People with the highest severity compared to those with mild severity (aOR = 2.041, 95%CI = 1.380-3.018), as well as those infected with Covid-19 twice or more compared to those infected once (aOR = 2.014, 95%CI = 1.346-3.012). Conclusion Long COVID symptoms should be closely monitored, particularly in individuals with underlying health conditions and those who experienced severe symptoms during their COVID-19 infection.
Institution: Chiang Mai University
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,200
Funder: Chiang Mai University
OpenAlex ID: W4404202012