Introduction: Survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic must deal with disabling symptoms that
affect the most diverse organ systems and that persist for more than 3 months after the acute
phase of the infection. These manifestations were called post-COVID syndrome by the World
Health Organization. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the influence of metabolic
comorbidities on the intensity of persistent symptoms reported by patients and the evolution of
these complaints over time. Methods: This is an analytical longitudinal study, with 100
individuals who presented persistent residual symptoms after at least 3 months of the acute
phase of COVID from april 2022 to april 2023. The intensity of symptoms was assessed in 2
medical appointments, with an interval of at least 6 months and a maximum of 12 months, in
which previous comorbidities, anthropometric parameters and laboratory tests were also
investigated. Results: 76% of participants were women and the overall average age was 54.3
years. The majority of patients had a mild acute infection (53%), did not experience reinfection
(65%), had already received 3 doses of vaccine in the first consultation (51%). The most
prevalent symptoms were neuropsychiatric, musculoskeletal and hair loss. The most prevalent
metabolic comorbidities were hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia. There was significant
improvement (p<0.001) for all 28 symptoms evaluated, using the Wilcoxon test. There was a
considerable increase in pre-diabetes and dyslipidemics after COVID infection. There was no
association between the outcome of residual symptoms and metabolic comorbidities, using the
Chi-Square and Fisher's Exact tests (p > 0.05). There was no association between the variables
reinfection, vaccination and time after acute infection with the evolution of residual symptoms.
Conclusion: The intensity of residual symptoms decreased over 12 months. There has been a
significant increase in the prevalence of prediabetes and dyslipidemia following COVID
infection. Metabolic comorbidities, in isolation, did not influence the outcome of each
symptom.
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