Association between biopsychosocial factors and self-reported COVID-19 clinical complications in a Brazilian city.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the existence of an association between the biopsychosocial profile of people affected and the number of self-reported clinical complications from COVID-19 in a Brazilian city. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional (baseline) study, nested in a cohort study, carried out with 217 confirmed cases of COVID-19, interviewed from January to October 2021, during home visits, in a city in the south of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A structured questionnaire with the KoboToolbox resource was used. The independent variables were sociodemographic and clinical profile (comorbidities), quality of life, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and social support. The dependent variable was the number of self-reported clinical complications from COVID-19. The multivariate linear regression technique was adopted for the analyses. RESULTS: The participants reported multiple clinical complications from COVID-19. There were "four or more" complications in 94.6% of the cases. Having a history of high blood pressure was associated with more complications post-SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas having a caregiver and presenting with post-traumatic stress were associated with fewer COVID-19 complications. CONCLUSION: The multisystemic nature of the complications caused by COVID-19 and the associations identified emphasizes the need for an integrated approach to patients and for studies that monitor the effects of the disease on the demands placed on health systems, aiming to better understand and address them.

Association between biopsychosocial factors and self-reported COVID-19 clinical complications in a Brazilian city / Associação entre características biopsicossociais e complicações clínicas por COVID-19 autorreferidas em um município brasileiro

ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to analyze the existence of an association between the biopsychosocial profile of people affected and the number of self-reported clinical complications from COVID-19 in a Brazilian city. Methods: This is a cross-sectional (baseline) study, nested in a cohort study, carried out with 217 confirmed cases of COVID-19, interviewed from January to October 2021, during home visits, in a city in the south of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A structured questionnaire with the KoboToolbox resource was used. The independent variables were sociodemographic and clinical profile (comorbidities), quality of life, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and social support. The dependent variable was the number of self-reported clinical complications from COVID-19. The multivariate linear regression technique was adopted for the analyses. Results: The participants reported multiple clinical complications from COVID-19. There were "four or more" complications in 94.6% of the cases. Having a history of high blood pressure was associated with more complications post-SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas having a caregiver and presenting with post-traumatic stress were associated with fewer COVID-19 complications. Conclusion: The multisystemic nature of the complications caused by COVID-19 and the associations identified emphasizes the need for an integrated approach to patients and for studies that monitor the effects of the disease on the demands placed on health systems, aiming to better understand and address them.

RESUMO Objetivo: Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a existência de associação entre o número de complicações clínicas por COVID-19 autorreferidas e as características biopsicossociais de pessoas acometidas em um município brasileiro. Métodos: Tratou-se de um estudo transversal (primeira visita de seguimento), aninhado em uma coorte com 217 casos confirmados de COVID-19, entrevistados de janeiro a outubro de 2021, durante visitas domiciliares, em um município ao sul de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Foi utilizado um questionário estruturado com o recurso KoboToolbox. Características sociodemográficas, clínicas (comorbidades), qualidade de vida, estresse pós-traumático, ansiedade, depressão e apoio social compuseram o elenco de variáveis independentes. A variável dependente foi expressa pelo número de complicações clínicas autorreferidas decorrentes da COVID-19. Para as análises, utilizou-se técnica de regressão linear multivariada. Resultados: Os participantes referiram múltiplas complicações clínicas por COVID-19. Em 94,6% dos casos houve "quatro ou mais" complicações relatadas. Ter hipertensão arterial prévia esteve associado a maior número de complicações pós-infecção pelo SARS-CoV-2, enquanto ter um cuidador e apresentar estresse pós-traumático se associaram a menor número de complicações por COVID-19. Conclusão: Depreende-se que o caráter multissistêmico das multicomplicações por COVID-19 e que as associações identificadas reforçam a necessidade de uma abordagem integral às pessoas acometidas, bem como de estudos que acompanhem os efeitos da doença sobre as demandas dos sistemas de saúde, a fim de melhor compreendê-los e melhor enfrentá-los.