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Reuner M, Krehbiel J, Rech J, Greiner B, Schäfer I, Herold R, Morawa E, Erim Y. Utilization frequency and patient-reported effectiveness of symptomatic therapies in post-COVID syndrome. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:2577. [PMID: 39313792 PMCID: PMC11421202 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19951-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To date there is no causal treatment for post-COVID syndrome, leaving symptomatic treatments as the primary recourse. However, the practical implementation and effectiveness of these interventions remain underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the utilization frequency of symptomatic therapies and patient-reported effectiveness across various treatment modalities at a German post-COVID center. METHODS As the baseline investigation we conducted a single-cohort retrospective study to analyze the frequency of symptomatic therapies among post-COVID patients who attended the post-COVID center of the University Hospital of Erlangen, between December 2022 to July 2023. Additionally, we administered a follow-up at least 3 months after the initial presentation, using a questionnaire to assess patient-reported improvements in post-COVID symptoms associated with the symptomatic therapies received. RESULTS Our study included 200 patients (mean age: 44.6 ± 12.6 years; 69.0% women; mean duration since acute infection: 15.3 ± 8.3 months). Pharmacotherapy was the predominant symptomatic treatment (79.5%), with psychotropic drugs (32.5%) and analgesics (31.5%) being the most frequently prescribed. Over half of the patients (55.5%) utilized vitamins and nutritional supplements. Hospital admission rates to acute care occurred in 35.5% of cases; 33.0% underwent inpatient rehabilitation and 31.0% pursued outpatient psychotherapy. Cardiologists (76.5%), pulmonologists (67.5%), and neurologists (65.5%) were the most consulted specialists. Therapies involving medical devices were infrequently employed (12.0%). In a follow-up questionnaire (response rate: 82.5%, 6.3 ± 2.2 months post-baseline), beta-blockers were the most effective pharmacological intervention with 31.5% of patients reporting strong to very strong symptom improvement, followed by antibiotics (29.6%). Furthermore, 33.0% of the patients perceived plasmapheresis to strongly alleviate symptoms. Only a small proportion of the sample attributed a strong or very strong symptom improvement to outpatient psychotherapy (11.0%). CONCLUSION This study provides initial insights into symptomatic therapy utilization and patient-reported symptom improvement in post-COVID syndrome. Further research into symptoms clusters and interdisciplinary collaboration are warranted to comprehensively address the multifaceted physical and psychological symptomatology. TRIAL REGISTRATION The study was registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00033621) on March 20, 2024.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Reuner
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Johannes Krehbiel
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054, Erlangen, Germany
- Post-COVID Center, University Hospital of Erlangen, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Rech
- Post-COVID Center, University Hospital of Erlangen, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich- Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Brigitte Greiner
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Isabel Schäfer
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Regina Herold
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Eva Morawa
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Yesim Erim
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054, Erlangen, Germany
- Post-COVID Center, University Hospital of Erlangen, 91054, Erlangen, Germany
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Boccellino M. COVID-19 Pandemic: Therapeutic Strategies and Vaccines. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:556. [PMID: 38203727 PMCID: PMC10778581 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a highly pathogenic and transmissible virus, has spurred an impressive accumulation of knowledge [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariarosaria Boccellino
- Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy
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