Functional independence measure, sequelae, and comorbidities in individuals with COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

Objective: to verify whether there is loss of functionality and association between sequelae, comorbidities and between the Functional Independence Measure with sociodemographic data and clinical aspects in individuals affected by COVID-19. Method: this is a cross-sectional, descriptive, exploratory and quantitative study. Participants were contacted by telephone and answered a questionnaire covering sociodemographic and clinical aspects; post-COVID-19 sequelae, presence of comorbidities and Functional Independence Measure Scale. Results: 172 individuals participated with an average age of 41.42±14.21 years, 54.7% were female, 34.9% had comorbidities, 80.2% had post-COVID sequelae, 90.1% did not require hospitalization and 93.6% were vaccinated. The total Functional Independence Measure score was 120.73±11.3, corresponding to complete independence. There was an association between the cognitive domain and female sex (p=0.022) and white individuals (p=0.025), and between the motor domain, age between 18 and 59 years (p=0.014) and not being vaccinated against COVID-19 (p=0.046). Conclusion: comorbidities are associated with post-COVID-19 sequelae. Non-vaccinated individuals, when infected with COVID-19, may present impairment in the motor domain.