JMERC
Owner
Janbazan Medical and Engineering Research Center (JMERC) is the owner of IJWPH.
0.5
Cite Score
SJR: 0.129 / SNIP: 0.140
Volume 17, Issue 3 (2025)
Iran J War Public Health 2025, 17(3): 319-323 |
Back to browse issues page
Article Type:
Subject:
History
Received: 2025/05/23 | Accepted: 2025/06/28 | Published: 2025/07/8
Received: 2025/05/23 | Accepted: 2025/06/28 | Published: 2025/07/8
How to cite this article
NagaRaju D, Subramanian S, Koganti V, Shekhar S, Himabindu K, Alagesan J, et al . Persistent Musculoskeletal, Cardiopulmonary, Neurological, and Psychiatric Symptoms Among COVID-19 Survivors. Iran J War Public Health 2025; 17 (3) :319-323
URL: http://ijwph.ir/article-1-1599-en.html
URL: http://ijwph.ir/article-1-1599-en.html
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Rights and permissions
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Authors
D. NagaRaju1, S. Subramanian *1, V.B. Koganti2, S.P.C. Shekhar3, K. Himabindu4, J. Alagesan5, D. Indrani1, S. Vishnuram1
1- Saveetha College of Physiotherapy, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, India
2- Department of Physiotherapy, Nimra Institute of Medical Sciences, Jupudi, India
3- Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Cardio Physiotherapy., KNR University of Health Sciences, Hyderabad, India
4- Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, Apollo University, Murukampattu, India
5- Department of Physiotherapy, School of Paramedical, Mohan Babu University, Tirupati, India
2- Department of Physiotherapy, Nimra Institute of Medical Sciences, Jupudi, India
3- Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Cardio Physiotherapy., KNR University of Health Sciences, Hyderabad, India
4- Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, Apollo University, Murukampattu, India
5- Department of Physiotherapy, School of Paramedical, Mohan Babu University, Tirupati, India
Abstract (432 Views)
Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected numerous survivors who experience ongoing symptoms impacting various body systems. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and persistence of musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, neurological, and psychiatric symptoms among COVID-19 survivors who attended NRI General Hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Instrument & Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted from February 2023 to February 2024 at NRI General Hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India. A total of 119 COVID-19 survivors under the age of 55 were enrolled. Participants reported the presence and duration of musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, neurological, and psychiatric symptoms persisting for at least three months post-recovery.
Findings: Musculoskeletal symptoms were the most prevalent, with muscle pain (48.7%) and fatigue (44.5%) reported most frequently, followed by joint pain (33.6%). Cardiopulmonary symptoms, such as dyspnea (27.7%), typically resolved within six to twelve months. Neurological complaints, including concentration difficulties (22.7%) and headaches (19.3%), persisted longer in some participants. Psychiatric manifestations, such as anxiety and depression, were reported by 15.9% and 12.6% of the cohort, respectively. Analytical correlation revealed significant overlap between the durations of musculoskeletal and neurological symptoms (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Musculoskeletal symptoms represent the most common and long-lasting complications among COVID-19 survivors.
Instrument & Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted from February 2023 to February 2024 at NRI General Hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India. A total of 119 COVID-19 survivors under the age of 55 were enrolled. Participants reported the presence and duration of musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, neurological, and psychiatric symptoms persisting for at least three months post-recovery.
Findings: Musculoskeletal symptoms were the most prevalent, with muscle pain (48.7%) and fatigue (44.5%) reported most frequently, followed by joint pain (33.6%). Cardiopulmonary symptoms, such as dyspnea (27.7%), typically resolved within six to twelve months. Neurological complaints, including concentration difficulties (22.7%) and headaches (19.3%), persisted longer in some participants. Psychiatric manifestations, such as anxiety and depression, were reported by 15.9% and 12.6% of the cohort, respectively. Analytical correlation revealed significant overlap between the durations of musculoskeletal and neurological symptoms (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Musculoskeletal symptoms represent the most common and long-lasting complications among COVID-19 survivors.
Keywords:
References
1. Pollard CA, Morran MP, Nestor-Kalinoski AL. The COVID-19 pandemic: A global health crisis. Physiol Genomics. 2020;52(11):549-57. [Link] [DOI:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00089.2020]
2. Gorman EA, O'Kane CM, McAuley DF. Acute respiratory distress syndrome in adults: Diagnosis, outcomes, long-term sequelae, and management. Lancet. 2022;400(10358):1157-70. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01439-8]
3. Parums DV. Long COVID or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) and the urgent need to identify diagnostic biomarkers and risk factors. Med Sci Monit. 2024;30:e946512. [Link] [DOI:10.12659/MSM.946512]
4. Conti V, Corbi G, Sabbatino F, De Pascale D, Sellitto C, Stefanelli B, et al. Long COVID: Clinical framing, biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches. J Pers Med. 2023;13(2):334. [Link] [DOI:10.3390/jpm13020334]
5. Ozanic K, Watanabe AS, Machado AB, Da Silva VL, Dias VC, Diniz CG. Long COVID: General perceptions and challenges in diagnosis and management. COVID. 2025;5(3):41. [Link] [DOI:10.3390/covid5030041]
6. Swarnakar R, Jenifa S, Wadhwa S. Musculoskeletal complications in long COVID-19: A systematic review. World J Virol. 2022;11(6):485-95. [Link] [DOI:10.5501/wjv.v11.i6.485]
7. Filatov A, Sharma P, Hindi F, Espinosa PS. Neurological complications of coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Encephalopathy. Cureus. 2020;12(3):e7352. [Link] [DOI:10.7759/cureus.7352]
8. Tedjasukmana R, Budikayanti A, Islamiyah WR, Witjaksono AMAL, Hakim M. Sleep disturbance in post COVID-19 conditions: Prevalence and quality of life. Front Neurol. 2023;13:1095606. [Link] [DOI:10.3389/fneur.2022.1095606]
9. SeyedAlinaghi S, Afsahi AM, MohsseniPour M, Behnezhad F, Salehi MA, Barzegary A, et al. Late complications of COVID-19; A systematic review of current evidence. Arch Acad Emerg Med. 2021;9(1):e14. [Link] [DOI:10.5501/wjv.v9.i5.79]
10. Pergolizzi JV, Raffa RB, Varrassi G, Magnusson P, LeQuang JA, Paladini A, et al. Potential neurological manifestations of COVID-19: A narrative review. Postgrad Med. 2022;134(4):395-405. [Link] [DOI:10.1080/00325481.2020.1837503]
11. Mao L, Jin H, Wang M, Hu Y, Chen S, He Q, et al. Neurologic manifestations of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan, China. JAMA Neurol. 2020;77(6):683-90. [Link] [DOI:10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.1127]
12. Singh SJ, Baldwin MM, Daynes E, Evans RA, Greening NJ, Jenkins RG, et al. Respiratory sequelae of COVID-19: Pulmonary and extrapulmonary origins, and approaches to clinical care and rehabilitation. Lancet Respir Med. 2023;11(8):709-25. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/S2213-2600(23)00159-5]
13. Dos Santos PK, Sigoli E, Bragança LJG, Cornachione AS. The musculoskeletal involvement after mild to moderate COVID-19 infection. Front Physiol. 2022;13:813924. [Link] [DOI:10.3389/fphys.2022.813924]
14. Estebanez-Pérez MJ, Pastora-Bernal JM, Martín-Valero R. The effectiveness of a four-week digital physiotherapy intervention to improve functional capacity and adherence to intervention in patients with long COVID-19. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(15):9566. [Link] [DOI:10.3390/ijerph19159566]
15. Dubba NR, Muthukumaran J, Dasarapu I. Effect of body weight exercises for COVID-19 survivors. INTI J. 2023;2023:42. [Link] [DOI:10.61453/INTIj.202342]
16. Tharani SA, Borkar P. Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in post-COVID-19 patients-a systematic review. Int J Health Sci Res. 2022;12(3):374-80. [Link] [DOI:10.52403/ijhsr.20220349]
17. Shanbehzadeh S, Tavahomi M, Zanjari N, Ebrahimi-Takamjani I, Amiri-Arimi S. Physical and mental health complications post-COVID-19: Scoping review. J Psychosom Res. 2021;147:110525. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2021.110525]
18. Walia N, Lat JO, Tariq R, Tyagi S, Qazi AM, Salari SW, et al. Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 and the mental health implications. Discoveries. 2021;9(4):e140. [Link] [DOI:10.15190/d.2021.19]
19. Sepehrinezhad A, Shahbazi A, Negah SS. COVID-19 virus may have neuroinvasive potential and cause neurological complications: A perspective review. J Neurovirol. 2020;26(3):324-9. [Link] [DOI:10.1007/s13365-020-00851-2]
20. Gentil P, De Lira CAB, Coswig V, Barroso WKS, Vitorino PVO, Ramirez-Campillo R, et al. Practical recommendations relevant to the use of resistance training for COVID-19 survivors. Front Physiol. 2021;12:637590. [Link] [DOI:10.3389/fphys.2021.637590]
21. Fernandez-De-Las-Peñas C, Notarte KI, Macasaet R, Velasco JV, Catahay JA, Ver AT, et al. Persistence of post-COVID symptoms in the general population two years after SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Infect. 2024;88(2):77-88. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.jinf.2023.12.004]
22. Aiyegbusi OL, Hughes SE, Turner G, Rivera SC, McMullan C, Chandan JS, et al. Symptoms, complications and management of long COVID: A review. J R Soc Med. 2021;114(9):428-42. [Link] [DOI:10.1177/01410768211032850]
23. Engin AB, Engin ED, Engin A. Current opinion in neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Curr Opin Toxicol. 2021;25:49-56. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.cotox.2021.03.004]
24. Ramani SL, Samet J, Franz CK, Hsieh C, Nguyen CV, Horbinski C, et al. Musculoskeletal involvement of COVID-19: Review of imaging. Skeletal Radiol. 2021;50(9):1763-73. [Link] [DOI:10.1007/s00256-021-03734-7]
25. Yang G, Li Z, Li Z, Huang L, Liang P, Liu L, et al. Meta-analysis of the impact of physical activity on the recovery of physical function in COVID-19 patients. Heliyon. 2023;9(9):e19339. [Link] [DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19339]