Quality of life of post-COVID-19 patients before and after rehabilitation

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12923/cipms-2025-0015

Keywords:

quality of life, rehabilitation, COVID-19

Abstract

Quality of life is an important indicator that should be treated on par with medical health indicators. Among COVID-19 survivors, a decline in quality of life is often observed due to persistent, long-term symptoms affecting physical and mental functioning, as well as social activity. A major factor improving the quality of life and health of patients is multidimensional rehabilitation. The aim of the presented study was to analyze changes in quality of life and self-assessment of health status influenced by rehabilitation, the quality of life of patients after rehabilitation, and the health problems experienced by COVID-19 survivors. A self-authored questionnaire and the WHOQOL-BREF scale were employed in the study. Questionnaires were collected from a total of 166 patients who had been diagnosed with a positive COVID-19 test and had undergone rehabilitation after recovery. It was found that the respondents most frequently experienced cognitive, musculoskeletal and respiratory disorders. Moreover, a positive impact of rehabilitation on the quality of life (p<0.001) and health status (p<0.001) of recovered patients was demonstrated. Rehabilitation, with particular emphasis on therapeutic exercises and respiratory rehabilitation, is therefore an important factor in improving the functioning of patients and their ability to perform daily activities.

References

1. Haraldstad K, Wahl A, Andenæs R, Andersen MH, Beisland E, Borge CR, et al. A systematic review of quality of life research in medicine and health sciences. Qual Life Res. 2019;28:2641-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02214-9

2. Fayers PM, Machin D. Quality of life: the assessment, analysis and reporting of patient-reported outcomes (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell; 2016. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118758991

3. Whoqol Group. The World Health Organization quality of life assessment (WHOQOL): Position paper from the World Health Organization. Soc Sci Med. 1995;41(10):1403-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(95)00112-k

4. Felce D, Perry J. Quality of life: its definition and measurement. Res Dev Disabil. 1995;16(1):51-74.

5. Allison PJ, Docker D, Feine JS. (1997). Quality of life: A dynamic construct. Soc Sci Med. 1997;45(2):221-30.

6. Carr A, Gibson B, Robinson P. Measuring quality of life. Is quality of life determined by expectations or experience? Br Med J. 2001;322: 1240-3. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.322.7296.1240

7. Mahase E. COVID-19: WHO declares pandemic because of “alarming levels” of spread, severity, and inaction. BMJ. 2020;368. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1036

8. Tenforde MW, Kim SS, Lindsell CJ, Rose EB, Shapiro NI, Files DC, et al. Symptom duration and risk factors for delayed return to usual health among outpatients with COVID-19 in a multistate health care systems network – United States, March-June 2020. MMWR. 2020;69(30):993. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6930e1

9. World Health Organisation. What we know about Long-term effects of COVID-19 (coronavirus update 36); 2020. [https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/update-36-long-term-effects-of-covid-19]

10. Cirulli E, Barrett KMS, Riffle S, Bolze A, Neveux I, Dabe S, et al. Long-term COVID-19 symptoms in a large unselected population. Medrxiv; 2020. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.07.20208702

11. d'Ettorre G, Vassalini P, Coppolelli V, Gentilini Cacciola E, Sanitinelli L, Maddaloni L, et al. Health-related quality of life in survivors of severe COVID-19 infection. Pharmacol Rep. 2022;74(6):1286-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43440-022-00433-5

12. Gutiérrez-Canales LG, Muñoz-Corona C, Barrera-Chávez I, Viloria-Álvarez C, Macías AE, Guaní-Guerra E. Quality of life and persistence of symptoms in outpatients after recovery from COVID-19. Medicina (Kaunas). 2022;58(12):1795. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina58121795

13. Muñoz-Corona C, Gutiérrez-Canales LG, Ortiz-Ledesma C, Martinez-Navarro LJ, Macias AE, Scavo-Mantes DA, et al. Quality of life and persistence of COVID-19 symptoms 90 days after hospital discharge. J Int Med Res. 2022;50(7). https://doi.org/10.1177/03000605221110492

14. Lai CC, Hsu CK, Yen MY, Lee PI, Ko WC, Hsueh PR. Long COVID: An inevitable sequela of SARS-CoV-2 infection. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2023;56(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmii.2022.10.003

15. Beyer S, Haufe S, Meike D, Scharbau M, Lampe V, Dopfer-Jablonka A, et al. Post-COVID-19 syndrome: Physical capacity, fatigue and quality of life. PLoS One. 2023;18(10):e0292928. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292928

16. Bryson WJ. Long-term health-related quality of life concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic: a call to action. Qual Life Res. 2021;30(3):643-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-020-02677-1

17. Santus P, Tursi F, Croce G, Di Simone C, Frassanito F, Gaboardi P, et al. Changes in quality of life and dyspnoea after hospitalization in COVID-19 patients discharged at home. Multidiscip Respir Med. 2020;15(1).

18. Zięba N, Stryjewska-Makuch G, Goroszkiewicz K, Zieliński M, Dadok A, Pietrzyk B, et al. Assessment of life quality and health perception among recovered COVID-19 patients: multivariate analysis - own material and a review of previous reports on life quality assessment among convalescents. Med Pr. 2022;73(6):449-56.

19. Poudel AN, Zhu S, Cooper N, Roderick P, Alwan N, Tarrant C, et al. Impact of Covid-19 on health-related quality of life of patients: A structured review. PLoS One. 2021;16(10):e0259164. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259164

20. Pérez Catalán I, Roig Martí C, Fabra Juana S, Domínguez Bajo E, Herrero Rodríguez G, Segura Fábrega A, et al. One-year quality of life among post-hospitalization COVID-19 patients. Front Public Health. 2023;11:1236527. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1236527

21. Ishikawa H, Kato M, Kiuchi T. Declines in health literacy and health-related quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study of the Japanese general population. BMC Public Health. 2021; 21:2180. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12092-x

22. Hajek A, Neumann-Böhme S, Sabat I, Torbica A, Schreyögg J, Barros PP, et al. Depression and anxiety in later COVID-19 waves across Europe: New evidence from the European COVID Survey (ECOS). Psychiatr Res. 2022;317:114902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114902

23. Wen J, Al Sayah F, Simon R, Johnas JA, Ohinmaa A. Self-reported health-related quality of life of the general population in Alberta, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2022;6:109. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41687-022-00518-y

24. Beqaj S, Mačak Hadžiomerović A, Pašalić A, Jaganjac A. Effects of physiotherapy on rehabilitation and quality of life in patients hospitalized for COVID-19: A Review of findings from key studies published 2020-2022. Med Sci Monit. 2022;28:e938141. https://doi.org/10.12659/msm.938141

25. Fernández-Lázaro D, Santamaría G, Sánchez-Serrano N, Lantarón Caeiro E, Seco-Calvo J. Efficacy of therapeutic exercise in reversing decreased strength, impaired respiratory function, decreased physical fitness, and decreased quality of life caused by the post-COVID-19 Syndrome. Viruses. 2022;14(12):2797. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14122797

26. Barker-Davies RM, O'Sullivan O, Senaratne KPP, Baker P, Cranley M, Dharm-Datta S, et al. The Stanford Hall consensus statement for post-COVID-19 rehabilitation. Br J Sports Med. 2020;54(16):949-59. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102596

27. Tsutsui M, Gerayeli F, Sin DD. Pulmonary Rehabilitation in a Post-COVID-19 World: Telerehabilitation as a New Standard in Patients with COPD. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2021;16:379-91. https://doi.org/10.2147/copd.s263031

28. Jimeno-Almazán A, Pallarés JG, Buendía-Romero Á, Martínez-Cava A, Franco-López F, Sánchez-Alcaraz Martínez BJ, et al. Post-COVID-19 Syndrome and the Potential Benefits of Exercise. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(10):5329. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105329

29. Udina C, Ars J, Morandi A, Vilaró J, Cáceres C, Inzitari M. Rehabilitation in adult post-COVID-19 patients in post-acute care with Therapeutic Exercise. J Frailty Aging. 2021;10(3):297-300. https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2021.1

30. [https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/333818/WHO-EURO-2020-855-40590-54773-pl.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y] (access: 27.11.2024).

31. [https://www.gov.pl/web/szczepimysie/rehabilitacja-dla-pacjentow-po-przebytej-chorobie-covid-19] (access: 27.11.2024).

32. Jaracz K, Kalfoss M, Górna K, Bączyk G. Quality of life in Polish respondents: psychometric properties of the Polish WHOQOL – Bref. Scand J Caring Sci. 2006;20:251-60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6712.2006.00401.x

33. Zheng C, Chen XK, Sit CH, Liang X, Li MH, Ma AC, et al. Effect of physical exercise-based rehabilitation on long COVID: A Systematic review and Meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024;56(1):143-54. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000003280

34. Centeno-Cortez AK, Díaz-Chávez B, Santoyo-Saavedra DR, Álvarez-Méndez PA, Pereda-Sámano R, Acosta-Torres LS. Fisioterapia respiratoria en pacientes adultos post-COVID-19: revisión sistemática de la literatura. Rev Med Inst Mex Seguro Soc. 2022;60(1):59-66.

35. Oliveira MR, Hoffman M, Jones AW, Holland AE, Borghi-Silva A. Effect of pulmonary rehabilitation on exercise capacity, dyspnea, fatigue, and peripheral muscle strength in patients with Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2024;105(8):1559-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2024.01.007

36. Calabria M, García-Sánchez C, Grunden N, Pons C, Arroyo JA, Gomez-Anson B, et al. Post-COVID-19 fatigue: the contribution of cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. J Neurol. 2022;269: 3990-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-022-11141-8

37. Román-Montes CM, Flores-Soto Y, Guaracha-Basañez GA, Tamez-Torres KM, Sifuentes-Osornio J, González-Lara MF, et al. Post-COVID-19 syndrome and quality of life impairment in severe COVID-19 Mexican patients. Front Public Health. 2023;11:1155951.

38. Malik P, Patel K, Pinto C, Jaiswal R, Tirupathi R, Pillai S, et al. Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL)-A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Med Virol. 2022;94(1):253-62. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.27309

39. Chuang HJ, Lin CW, Hsiao MY, Wang TG, Liang HW. Long COVID and rehabilitation. J Formos Med Assoc. 2024;123 Suppl 1:61-9.

40. Natarajan A, Shetty A, Delanerolle G, Zeng Y, Zhang Y, Raymont V, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of long COVID symptoms. Syst Rev. 2023;12:88.

41. Nalbandian A, Desai AD, Wan EY. Post-COVID-19 Condition. Annu Rev Med. 2023;74:55-64. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-med-043021-030635

42. Aiyegbusi OL, Hughes SE, Turner G, Rivera SC, McMullan C, Chandan JS, et al. TLC Study Group. Symptoms, complications and management of long COVID: a review. J R Soc Med. 2021;114(9): 428-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/01410768211032850

Downloads

Published

2025-05-21

How to Cite

Drop, B., Malm, M., Drop, K., & Janiszewska, M. (2025). Quality of life of post-COVID-19 patients before and after rehabilitation. Current Issues in Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, 38(2), 95-100. https://doi.org/10.12923/cipms-2025-0015