Quality of life of people with and without respiratory complications in post-COVID-19 syndrome: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: to assess and compare the quality of life (QoL) of people with and without respiratory complications resulting from post-COVID-19 syndrome. METHODS: a retrospective, comparative, and analytical observational study, with a quantitative approach and non-probabilistic convenience sampling, conducted with 300 people residing in Ceará, Maranhão, or Pernambuco, distributed into case group (n=100/with respiratory complications) and control group (n=200/without respiratory complications). For data collection (2021-2022), the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were used. Student's t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation were performed (p<0.05). RESULTS: the case group presented lower scores in all SF-36 domains (p<0.05), indicating worse QoL. In the SGRQ, symptoms, activity, and impacts showed greater impairment (p<0.001). An inverse linear correlation was observed between SF-36 and SGRQ scores. CONCLUSIONS: people with post-COVID-19 respiratory complications presented worse QoL, highlighting the relevance of multidisciplinary follow-up in respiratory rehabilitation for improving QoL.