ArticlePloS one2021
Prevalence and predictors of Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS) after hospital discharge: A cohort study with 4 months median follow-up.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 107 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Risk of venous thromboembolic events after COVID-19 infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of thrombosis and thrombolysis · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Prevalence of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome symptoms at different follow-up periods: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Symptoms, risk factors, and health outcomes of long COVID in the United Arab Emirates.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Sex Differences in Long COVID Prevalence Over One year After the Acute Phase, and Related Risk Factors. The GINA-COVID Cohort Study.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Prevalence and impact of long COVID on health-related quality of life in previously hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a 2-year follow-up study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Longer term post-hospital morbidity and mortality following admission with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.ERJ open research · 2025Article
- Post COVID-19 syndrome and new onset diseases: a prospective observational study.Singapore medical journal · 2025Observational
- Longitudinal Symptom Analysis of COVID-19 Survivors and Post-COVID Syndrome Patients.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- The Involvement and Manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Cardiovascular Pathology.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Review
- Long COVID prevalence and risk factors in adults residing in middle- and high-income countries: secondary analysis of the multinational Anti-Coronavirus Therapies (ACT) trials.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Association of Mediterranean Diet with Cardiovascular Risk Factors and with Metabolic Syndrome in Subjects with Long COVID: BioICOPER Study.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Sex Differences in Long COVID.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Consensus based recommendations for the management of post-COVID long-term sequelae (Long COVID): a regional perspective.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Prevalent symptoms and characteristics of the Long COVID-19 population: a scoping review.Revista latino-americana de enfermagem · 2025Article
- Virtual post-COVID-19 clinics in Saudi Arabia: navigating the effect of the pandemic with a national project.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Long COVID symptoms in the COVID unit of the emergency Department of Abderrahmen Mami Hospital in Tunisia: prevalence, main symptoms, and associated factors.The Pan African medical journal · 2025Article
- Vaccination and food consumption: association with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome in Brazilian adults (CUME Study).Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPost-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) is an emerging healthcare burden. The risk factors associated with PACS remain largely unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of new or persistent symptoms in COVID-19 patients post hospital discharge and identify associated risk factors.
methodsOur prospective cohort comprised of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between May and July 2020. The patients were interviewed through phone calls by trained physicians from 6 weeks up to 6 months post hospital discharge. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards and logistic regression models were used to examine for predictors associated with persistence of symptoms and non-return to baseline health.
results222 COVID-19 patients responded to follow-up phone interviews after a median of 122 days post discharge. The majority of patients were men (77%) with mean age of 52.47 (± 13.95) years. 56.3% of patients complained of persistent symptoms; 66 (29.7%) experiencing them for >21 days and 64 (28.8%) reporting not having returned to their baseline health. Furthermore, 39 patients (17.6%) reported visiting an emergency room post discharge for COVID-19-related symptoms while 16 (7.2%) had required re-hospitalization. Shortness of breath (40.1%), cough (27.5%) and fatigue (29.7%) were the most frequently reported symptoms at follow-up. After multivariable adjustments, female gender, pre-existing hypertension and length of hospital stay were associated with an increased risk of new or persistent symptoms. Age, pre-existing lung disease and emergency room visits increased the likelihood of not fully recovering from acute COVID-19. Patients who were treated with interferon β-1b based triple antiviral therapy during hospital stay were less likely to experience new or persistent symptoms and more likely to return to their baseline health.
conclusionsCOVID-19 survivors continued to suffer from dyspnea, cough and fatigue at 4 months post hospital discharge. Several risk factors could predict which patients are more likely to experience PACS and may benefit from individualized follow-up and rehabilitation programs.
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