Abstract
PURPOSE: Prior evidence suggests that patients' Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) worsens after COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate HRQoL in Italian patients post-hospitalization for COVID-19, focusing on changes in physical and mental HRQoL over time since COVID-19 diagnosis. METHODS: A cohort of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at Molinette Hospital in Turin, Italy, was contacted post-discharge to assess HRQoL using the SF-36 questionnaire. Patients completed the questionnaire only once at a different time since diagnosis. This design allowed for the analysis of responses up to three years after diagnosis. Measured scores were compared with normative data from the Italian population using z-scores. HRQoL differences by gender, comorbidities, and self-perception of health status before and after COVID-19 were tested. The effect of time since diagnosis on physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) SF-36 scores was analysed using multiple linear models and stratified analyses. RESULTS: A total of 601 patients completed the questionnaire. HRQoL was significantly lower compared to the normative Italian population. Men and individuals without comorbidities had better HRQoL, and self-perceptions of health status before and after COVID-19 influenced HRQoL. Time since diagnosis was associated with improved PCS, but MCS remained unaffected. Mental health declined in patients using anxiolytics post-COVID-19, and increasing age negatively affected physical health. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the impact of time since diagnosis on HRQoL post-COVID-19 in an Italian population and suggest the need for further investigation into the pandemic's effects on HRQoL. Physicians should implement measures to improve mental HRQoL post-COVID-19.