Abstract
Long COVID is an ongoing public health challenge. This study aimed to examine Long COVID in previously hospitalized COVID patients in the UAE, determine associated risk factors, and evaluate its influence on self-perceived health. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using medical records and in-depth telephone interviews with adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19 between January 2020 and October 2021. Hospitalization was primarily for COVID-19 illness, although early admissions also included quarantine or surveillance during the initial phase of the pandemic. All patients provided informed consent. The study assessed clinical predictors of Long COVID and its impact on patients’ daily lives. Long COVID was identified in approximately 49% of the 533 participants, with 43 distinct manifestations. Female sex, the number of initial symptoms, the need for intensive care during hospitalization, and having two or more comorbidities were associated with an increased risk of long COVID. It was also strongly linked to worsened self-rated health and overall poorer perceived health, as well as significant limitations in work functioning due to both physical and emotional difficulties. These findings highlight the need for structured post-acute follow-up and targeted support for higher-risk groups to mitigate the long-term clinical and public health burden of COVID-19.
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are not openly available due to reasons of confidentiality and are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge and thank all the participants who took part in the study.
Funding
This work was supported by grants from, Clinical Epidemiology Research group operational grant (Grant code:150389) and COVID-19 research grant (CoV19-0301), University of Sharjah, UAE.
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HA, MA, AH, MAH, RH, and BS conceptualized the study and designed the methodology. BS acquired the funding and supervised the project. RKZ, NA, AS, RA, DO, FS, ACH, SM, AO, SY, MAE, AMO, and GM carried out the investigation. RKZ managed the project. RKZ, NA, AS, HA, MA, AH, and BS performed the formal analysis. RKZ, NA, ZA, and BS wrote the original draft. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
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Zeidan, R.K., Al-Bluwi, N., Shukla, A. et al. Symptoms, risk factors, and health outcomes of long COVID in the United Arab Emirates. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44682-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44682-3
