Post-COVID-19 functional limitations in hospitalized patients and associated risk factors: A 3-month follow-up study

Background and Purpose: Many patients experience post-COVID-19 functional limitations. This study aimed to monitor the functional improvement of patients over 3 months of follow-up and determine the risk factors. Methods: This prospective cohort study evaluated 100 hospitalized patients who recovered from COVID-19 infection. The mean age was 53.2 +/- 13.1 years. Fifty-nine had at least one comorbid condition. The mean lengths of the hospital and ICU stays were 7.8 +/- 3.3 and 5.3 +/- 2.5 days, respectively. The functional status of the patients was evaluated using functional independence measure (FIM) and post-COVID-19 functional status (PCFS) questionnaires at four time-points of discharge, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after discharge. Results: Mean FIM score was 107.2 +/- 17.4 at the time of discharge, 113.3 +/- 14.9 at 1 week, 120.3 +/- 10.2 at 1 month, and 124.3 +/- 6.4 at 3 months after discharge (p < 0.001). The PCFS score was 2.71 +/- 1.25 at discharge, 2.09 +/- 1.3 at 1 week, 1.14 +/- 1.1 at 1 month, and 0.64 +/- 0.59 at 3 months after discharge (p < 0.001). Female sex, older age, and the lengths of hospital and ICU stays were negatively correlated with the functional status score. Discussion: Post-COVID-19 functional limitations are observed in hospitalized patients and improve over 3 months after discharge. Female sex, older age, longer hospital, and ICU stays are risk factors that negatively impact functional status.