Symptoms of COVID-19 are not the same as complications following illness. Meanwhile, many people find it difficult to distinguish between them. How big? The knowledge of Poles about post-coronavirus complications was checked by the LB Medical Institute in cooperation with the SW Research Agency as part of the study "Poles' awareness of complications after COVID-19.
The symptoms of COVID-19 are widely described - and even if the severity or frequency of symptoms varies depending on the variant of the coronavirus causing the infection, the underlying ones do not. An asymptomatic course of COVID-19 is also possible.
The infection itself can be dangerous, and its symptoms can be very bothersome. As are some post-sovid complications that can persist for weeks to months after you have been infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Do we know how to tell them apart? It turns out that not always. The study "Poles' awareness of complications after COVID-19" shows that only every third person (32%) describes the level of knowledge about complications as high, and more than half of Poles (54%) as average.
When asked about possible pocovidic ailments, the majority (69%) of the respondents mentioned the symptoms of the disease itself, i.e. loss of smell and taste, which, according to specialists, rarely persist after the disease and are among the less frequent complications. On the other hand, a high percentage correctly indicates common complications, such as fatigue (68%) and shortness of breath (61.5%).
The respondents had the greatest problem with clearly defining the time horizon in which these complications may occur after suffering from the disease - over 36%. did not specify any time period.
Also, the youngest participants of the study, i.e. people aged 20-35, are not sure of their knowledge - meanwhile, this is the group that can obtain information best. The study shows that less than half of the youngest respondents - people aged 20-35, describe their level of knowledge about complications after undergoing COVID-19 as average.
Every third person in this group is not sure if they have had the coronavirus. Certainly, 11.5% were ill, and more than a half, because 58%. of respondents of this age say they have not had COVID-19. Almost every second person (47%) aged 20-35 claims that they struggled with complications after the disease, and 45% askedis convinced that the complications did not affect them.
In this group, symptoms such as olfactory and taste disturbances were also most frequently indicated as postovid complications. More than half of 51 percent. of respondents aged 20-35 were on sick leave or on vacation due to complications after COVID-19.
The study "Poles' awareness of complications after COVID-19" was carried out by the SW Research agency on 10-11.08 using the CAWI technique on the SW PANEL research panel, on a representative sample of n=1013 adult Poles.