Incidence of Anxiety Determined by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale in Post-COVID-19 Patients After the Pandemic

Introduction: The coronavirus pandemic in 2019 represented a major global health emergency that brought with it multiple effects; both physically and mentally.1 Preceding studies in previous epidemics have revealed a deep and wide range of psychosocial consequences during outbreaks, with the human psyche being a commonly affected element. 2,3 Objective: To determine the incidence of anxiety in the sample population after the pandemic (SARS-CoV-2) by using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS) in post-COVID-19 patients. Methodology: The HAS4 was applied (June - August 2023) to a convenience sample of 250 subjects of both sex and inhabitants of the city of Puebla (Mexico) who suffered from COVID-19 infection (SARS-Cov-2) in two private clinics located in the colonies of “San Isidro Castillotla” and “Romero Vargas”. The inclusion criteria were: age range of 18-56 years, having presented mild or moderate symptoms during their infection and not having been diagnosed with anxiety prior to the pandemic. Results: The final sample was 250 post-COVID-19 patients. The average age in the sample was 33.76 years. With a sex distribution of 110 (44%) men and 140 (56%) women. 60% of the population presented moderate symptoms and the rest presented mild symptoms during their coronavirus infection. Furthermore, according to the HAS, the following levels and frequency of presentation were observed: 8% of the population did not present anxiety, 28% were determined as mild anxiety, 44% as moderate anxiety, 18% as severe and 2% as very severe. Also, insomnia was the most predominant symptom. Conclusion: Most of the research carried out worldwide in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic reveals that sociodemographic variables (in addition to the pathogenesis of the disease itself) influence the process of assimilating the situation and the response that the person develops to stress.5 In the present study, the entire population is residing in lower middle-class neighborhoods, a condition that evidently generated various forms of disadvantage in the face of the challenges posed by the health crisis. Studies point to the increase in anxiety diagnosis rates as a result of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Finally, in this research, one of the most frequent symptoms was insomnia (commonly linked to anxiety) and it was possible to identify that 92% presented some level of anxiety according to the HAS. References 1. J Devoe D, Han A, Anderson A, Katzman DK, Patten SB, Soumbasis A, Flanagan J, Paslakis G, Vyver E, Marcoux G, Dimitropoulos G. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating disorders: A systematic review. Int J Eat Disord. 2023 Jan;56(1):5-25. doi: 10.1002/eat.23704. Epub 2022 Apr 5. PMID: 35384016; PMCID: PMC9087369. 2. Pappa S, Ntella V, Giannakas T, Giannakoulis VG, Papoutsi E, Katsaounou P. Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Aug;88:901-907. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.026. Epub 2020 May 8. Erratum in: Brain Behav Immun. 2021 Feb;92:247. PMID: 32437915; PMCID: PMC7206431. 3. Galindo-Vázquez O, Ramírez-Orozco M, Costas-Muñiz R, Mendoza-Contreras LA, Calderillo-Ruíz, G & Meneses-García A. Symptoms of anxiety and depression and self-care behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population. Gaceta médica de México. 2020; 156(4): 294-301. DOI: 10.24875/gmm.m20000399 4. Hamilton M.The assessment of anxiety states by rating. Br J Med Psychol 1959; 32:50–55. 5. Nicolini H. Depresión y ansiedad en los tiempos de la pandemia de COVID-19. Cirugía y cirujanos. 2020; 88(5): 542-547. 2021.DOI: 10.24875/ciru.m20000067. None of the authors have a conflict of interest. Institution: UPAEP. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.