Musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection and healthcare utilization: a cross-sectional study

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Research

Suele Manjourany Silva Duro¹  Max dos Santos Afonso²  Juliana Quadros Santos Rocha²  Samuel Dumith²  Yohana Pereira Vieira²  Carine Nascimento da Silva²  Mirelle de Oliveira Saes²  Abelardo de Oliveira Soares Junior³  Rosália Garcia Neves⁴ 

[1] Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;Federal University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;Federal University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;Anhanguera Faculty, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;State Secretary of Health, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil;

关键词: Coronavirus infections;    Covid-19;    Musculoskeletal pain;    Health services;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12891-023-06794-z

 received in 2023-03-01, accepted in 2023-08-10,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the reorganization of health services to cater to the needs of individuals affected by the virus.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the association between musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection and the utilization of health services among adults in southern Brazil. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with individuals aged 18 years and older, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between December 2020 and March 2021. Questionnaires were electronically collected using tablets through the REDCap platform via phone calls. The health service utilization outcomes assessed included Primary Health Care, general practitioners, private emergency care, and specialized services. The exposure variable was the presence of musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection in different regions, such as cervical, upper limbs, thoracic, lumbar, and lower limbs. Poisson regression analysis was employed to assess the relationship between health service utilization during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection and musculoskeletal pain during and after the infection with SARS-CoV-2 among adults in southern Brazil. Data were analyzed using the Stata 16.1 statistical package. ResultsA total of 2,919 individuals were interviewed. Overall, individuals with musculoskeletal pain were found to utilize health services approximately 15 percentage points higher when compared to those without musculoskeletal pain. In adjusted analysis, individuals who reported musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection were up to twice as likely to use health services. Among them, the emergency care unit was the most frequently used service, particularly in those with pain in the lower limbs (RP=2.19, 95% CI 1.66-2.87) and thoracic region (RP=2.04, 95% CI 1.47-2.84). Notably, the highest magnitudes of association were observed with emergency care units, specialist doctors, and specialized services, especially neurologists, who were two to three times more likely to be sought, followed by pulmonologists. ConclusionHealth service utilization was significantly associated with musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection. All regions, except for the cervical region, showed a correlation with the use of Primary Health Care. The thoracic region featured an association with pulmonologists and emergency room utilization. Additionally, health services like emergency care units, specialist doctors, and specialized services, including cardiologists and neurologists, were commonly utilized across all regions in southern Brazil.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

Fig. 1

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