key: cord-0986477-1bydyh37 authors: Pant, Pankaj; Joshi, Aishana; Basnet, Babin; Shrestha, Bibek Man; Bista, Navindra Raj; Bam, Niraj; Das, Santa Kumar title: Prevalence of Functional Limitation in COVID-19 Recovered Patients Using the Post COVID-19 Functional Status Scale date: 2021-01-31 journal: JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc DOI: 10.31729/jnma.5980 sha: 49c8668e35e4d95fe88a6964276216fd1fd52bbb doc_id: 986477 cord_uid: 1bydyh37 INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 is an emerging global health pandemic causing tremendous morbidity and mortality worldwide. Chronic symptoms progressing to poor functional status have been reported in a substantial proportion of COVID-19 patients worldwide. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of functional limitation in COVID-19 recovered patients using the post-COVID-19 functional status scale. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. COVID-19 recovered patients with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction negative status were included and assessed using the post-COVID-19 functional status scale. Data entry and analysis was done in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0. Descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: A total of 106 patients were included for the final analysis. More than half of the patients (56.6%) reported having no functional limitation (grade 0), while the prevalence of some degree of functional limitation was observed in 46 (43.4%) patients (grade 1 to 4). CONCLUSIONS: Some form of functional limitation should be anticipated after COVID-19 infection. Post-COVID-19 functional status scale can be a valuable tool in determining the prevalence of functional limitation in COVID-19 recovered patients in acute health care settings. It can potentially guide in planning rehabilitative measures in post-acute care management of COVID-19 survivors. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2). The first outbreak of SARS-COV2 was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China. 1 It was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). 2 The first confirmed case of COVID-19 from Nepal was reported in January 2020. 3 A wide range of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary manifestations have been reported in post-COVID-19 patients. [4] [5] [6] Persisting symptoms with subsequent progression to poor functional status have been reported in a substantial proportion of these patients. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), prolonged hospitalization, and admission in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have been reported among COVID-19 infections in acute care settings. 7, 8 The physical and mental health assessment in COVID-19 survivors with emphasis on post-acute care has been a recent global health concern. This study aims to determine the prevalence of functional limitation in COVID-19 recovered patients using the post COVID-19 functional status (PCFS) scale. 9 METHODS This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the department of Pulmonology and Critical Care During the post-COVID-19 recovery state after RT-PCR negative status, more than half of the patients (56.6%) reported having no functional limitation (PCFS grade 0), while the prevalence of some degree of functional limitation was observed in 46 (43.4%) patients ( Table 3) . The majority of patients (89.6%) had at least one of the pulmonary or extra-pulmonary symptoms during COVID-19 infection. A minority (11%) did not report any symptoms. Fever was the most predominant symptom observed in two-third of the patients (n=70, 66%) followed by cough in 59 (55.7%) and fatigue in 48 (45.3%) patients (Table 4 ). 9 have recommended using the PCFS scale depending on local conditions in which it is implemented. We used this tool in our study as it is simple and inexpensive and hence, could be specifically beneficial in resourcepoor health care settings. We recommend large multicentre studies with a greater sample size to validate the PCFS scale as a tool for assessing long-term post-COVID-19 functional status in the Nepalese population. The physical and mental health effects of SARS-COV2 infection should be anticipated in every COVID-19 patient. Early detection of functional decline with subsequent planning of rehabilitative measures is vital in post-acute care management of COVID-19 patients. PCFS scale is a simple tool in determining the prevalence of functional limitation in COVID-19 recovered patients in acute health care settings. We recommend large multi-centre studies with a longer duration of follow-up to validate the PCFS scale to assess long-term health effects and post COVID-19 functional status in the Nepalese population. 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