Nutrition Status and Health-Related Quality of Life of Individuals Post COVID-19: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: Persistent symptoms following COVID-19 may adversely affect nutritional status and health-related quality of life. This study evaluated these outcomes and their associations with pulmonary function and clinical characteristics.Material and Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study included 200 ICU-hospitalized COVID-19 patients (June 2020–December 2022) who later attended outpatient follow-up. Hospitalization and post-discharge data were obtained from institutional electronic systems and HSYS. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 27.0, with p<0.05 considered significant.Results: Participants were predominantly male (65.0%), with a mean age of 51.5 ± 12.1 years; 67.5% were obese and 57.5% had chronic diseases, predominantly hypertension and diabetes. Persistent symptoms were reported by 81.0% of patients, most commonly dyspnea, fatigue, forgetfulness, and cough. Persistent symptoms were more frequent among women and individuals with chronic diseases. Among the 182 patients with available pulmonary function test (PFT) data, 72.0% had a normal pattern, 7.1% an obstructive pattern, and 20.9% a restrictive pattern. The mean EQ-5D-3L total score was 88.9±10.3, and the mean EQ-VAS score was 83.2±10.8. Problems in specific EQ-5D-3L dimensions were more frequent among patients aged >60 years and those with chronic diseases. Overall, 89.0% of participants had normal nutritional status, 10.0% were at risk of malnutrition, and 1.0% were classified as malnourished. Participants with normal nutritional status had significantly higher EQ-VAS scores than those who were at risk of malnutrition or malnourished (p=0.020).Conclusion: Post-COVID-19 individuals exhibited reductions in both nutritional status and quality of life, underscoring the importance of long-term monitoring and targeted follow-up, particularly among high-risk groups.