Statistical Analysis of Chronic Fatigue in COVID-19 Patients in the City of Isfahan

Document Type : Original Article (s)

Authors

1 Student, Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

10.48305/jims.v43.i832.1173

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the relationship between COVID-19 infection and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on individuals aged 18 to 60 without underlying medical conditions who had contracted COVID-19 within the past 6 to 12 months and had visited selected COVID-19 centers in Isfahan for outpatient PCR testing. Inclusion criteria were PCR-confirmed infection and participant consent, while those with a history of hospitalization or physical/mental comorbidities were excluded. A sample of 386 participants was randomly selected from a list of 2,863 in the comprehensive COVID-19 database. Fatigue was assessed using the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire, which had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.91, validated by Fallah and Taghizadeh in Iran.
Findings: The average fatigue score among patients was 29.72 (ranging from 14 to 70), which is lower than the midpoint threshold of 42. There was no significant difference in fatigue levels between males and females, nor in average fatigue levels with age and BMI. However, with increasing age, the mean fatigue score decreased slightly. The mean fatigue score for individuals with a normal BMI was slightly lower than for those with an abnormal BMI. Fatigue levels were higher in less active occupations such as students, retirees, and homemakers compared to hospital staff, office workers, and laborers.
Conclusion: The results suggest that chronic fatigue levels 6 to 12 months post-COVID-19 infection in individuals who had outpatient PCR testing are generally low or very low.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Volume 43, Issue 832
4th Week, November
November and December 2025
Pages 1173-1181

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 February 2024
  • Accept Date: 05 October 2025

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