Purpose: Prior evidence suggests that patients' Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) worsens after COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate HRQoL in Italian patients post-hospitalization for COVID-19, focusing on changes in physical and mental HRQoL over time since COVID-19 diagnosis.
Methods: A cohort of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at Molinette Hospital in Turin, Italy, was contacted post-discharge to assess HRQoL using the SF-36 questionnaire. Patients completed the questionnaire only once at a different time since diagnosis. This design allowed for the analysis of responses up to three years after diagnosis. Measured scores were compared with normative data from the Italian population using z-scores. HRQoL differences by gender, comorbidities, and self-perception of health status before and after COVID-19 were tested. The effect of time since diagnosis on physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) SF-36 scores was analysed using multiple linear models and stratified analyses.
Results: A total of 601 patients completed the questionnaire. HRQoL was significantly lower compared to the normative Italian population. Men and individuals without comorbidities had better HRQoL, and self-perceptions of health status before and after COVID-19 influenced HRQoL. Time since diagnosis was associated with improved PCS, but MCS remained unaffected. Mental health declined in patients using anxiolytics post-COVID-19, and increasing age negatively affected physical health.
Conclusion: Our findings highlight the impact of time since diagnosis on HRQoL post-COVID-19 in an Italian population and suggest the need for further investigation into the pandemic's effects on HRQoL. Physicians should implement measures to improve mental HRQoL post-COVID-19.
Keywords: Long-term; Physical and mental consequences; Post COVID-19 hospitalisation; Quality of life; SF-36; Time since diagnosis.
The relationship between COVID-19 and both physical and mental health is a highly debated topic. COVID-19 impairs mental health and reduces the ability to engage in normal physical activities. However, the long-term consequences (12–36 months) of COVID-19 remain relatively unexplored, particularly in the Italian population. In this study, we examined a sample of Italian patients after hospitalisation for COVID-19 to assess changes in their physical and mental Quality of Life over time since their diagnosis. Our findings indicate that COVID-19 significantly worsened Quality of Life scores for these patients after hospitalisation compared to current normative scores for the Italian population. Over time, physical Quality of Life tends to improve in these patients, but mental Quality of Life does not show a similar trend. These results suggest the need to re-evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Quality of Life in Italy and emphasize the importance of addressing mental health to enhance the Quality of Life for those affected by COVID-19.
© 2024. The Author(s).