Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in COVID-19 Patients After Recovering from the Acute Infection

Background: Nearly four years after the COVID-19 outbreak, its burden persists, with long-term physical and mental impacts still being discovered. Objectives: Given that these effects may vary across different periods post-infection and in diverse cultural, medical, and economic settings, we aimed to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Iranian patients six months after acute infection. Methods: A total of 194 infected patients were enrolled and re-evaluated six months after the onset of acute infection. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the validated EQ-5D-3L questionnaire. Results: The mean age of patients was 50.1 ± 15.8 years, with a female-to-male ratio of 1.04. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension were the most common comorbidities. Significant impairment was observed in all categories of HRQoL after recovery from acute COVID-19 infection (P-value < 0.05). Female gender, older age, and intensive care unit admissions were independent factors associated with worsened health status post-recovery. The overall reduction in post-COVID-19 infection quality of life (QoL) score was 25%. Conclusions: The mental and physical burden of COVID-19 in our study population was considerable. Comorbid conditions and a lack of supportive measures post-infection, especially in a low-income country, may contribute to the long-term effects of COVID-19.