EC Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine

Background: COVID-19 is a contagious illness that may cause severe physical symptoms and has been linked to mental health concerns. The purpose of this research was to assess the prevalence and severity of mental health issues in a hospitalized population of people with COVID-19.

Methods: This study was a descriptive prospective design. This study was conducted at a main center for COVID-19 inpatients, Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital. The study was conducted during September 2020 to February 2021. Population of this study were COVID-19 patients admitted to Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital. Participants who were intubated or admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) and patients who died during the follow up were excluded from the study. In addition, patients with history or current psychiatric illness were excluded.

Results: Among 1235 patients, there were 766 males (62%) and 469 females (38%). The mean age among study participants was 37 ± 14 years and ranged from 16 to 57 years. Depressive symptoms were seen in 97.2% of COVID-19 individuals. According to the depression, anxiety and stress Scale (DASS), 85.8 percent of respondents were severely depressed. Anxiety ranged from very severe (99.1%) to very severe (0.9%) throughout the board. The vast majority (97.1%) of patients were stressed. Research has discovered a significant link between depressive symptoms and how stressed out participants were (Coefficient: 0.33, P-value: 0.001). There was a statistically significant correlation between anxious feelings and reports of stress (Coefficient: 0.2, P-value: 0.04).

Conclusion: Hospitalized COVID-19 individuals were studied. One third of individuals smoked and had comorbidities such diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, lung illness, and others. Taste and smell loss were the most prevalent COVID-19 symptoms reported by all individuals. Some symptoms developed within days after diagnosis, whereas others came later in the illness and lasted longer. Female gender, older age, and comorbidities increased the intensity and duration of symptoms.

 Keywords: COVID-19; Depression; Anxiety; Stress; DASS-21; Gaza Strip

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