At least 14% of Americans have long-term illness from COVID-19, study suggests

One in seven people in the US will have contracted long-term COVID-19 by the end of 2022, with researchers from UCL and Dartmouth College predicting the prevalence and symptoms of long-term COVID-19. A large-scale study of morbidity is suggested.

Long-term exposure to COVID-19 may be associated with anxiety and low mood, as well as continued problems with physical mobility and declines in memory, concentration, and comprehension, according to research published today. It is said to increase. Pro Swan.

The risk of anxiety and depression appeared to be lower in vaccinated people, including those who had had COVID-19 for a long time.

Co-author Professor Alex Bryson (UCL Institute of Social Research) said: ‘Little is known about long-term coronavirus infection and its impact on health and wellbeing, but many people are experiencing persistent and worrying symptoms. There is a growing body of evidence that people are experiencing this.”

“We now know that COVID-19 continues to impact millions of people in the United States, with some groups far more affected than others. People who have had coronavirus infection for a long time continue to experience depressed mood, difficulty performing daily tasks, and challenges with memory, concentration, and comprehension compared to people who have not had coronavirus infection for a long time. There is.”

Researchers reviewed data from 461,550 people who completed the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey from June to December 2022. They were comparing people who said they had never had COVID-19 to people who had been infected with COVID-19 without lingering symptoms. , and people who currently or have had a long-term coronavirus infection.

In line with the World Health Organization (WHO), they defined prolonged COVID-19 infection as the persistence or development of new symptoms within at least three months of initial infection.

Researchers found that almost half (47%) of people surveyed reported having had COVID-19 at some point, but 14% overall had been infected with COVID-19 at some point for an extended period of time. Half of them (7% of the total) were found to still have long-term infections. Symptoms of the new coronavirus when answering the survey. The findings suggest that one in three people infected with COVID-19 may end up with prolonged symptoms of COVID-19. Researchers said that while some of those surveyed may have been infected with COVID-19 without knowing it, the study’s reliance on people’s self-reporting of symptoms was a limitation of the study. I’m warning you that there is.

Researchers found that people who had had COVID-19 for a long time experienced not only physical mobility issues and problems with dressing and bathing, but also negative effects (anxiety, depression, worry, and apathy). It was discovered that these are all self-induced.・Answer the questionnaire and report. Having had COVID-19 for a long time was also associated with self-reported problems with memory, concentration, and understanding and being understood.

Women were also more likely to experience long-term COVID-19 than men, and rates were also higher among white people, middle-aged people, and people with low income or education, but in West Virginia (18% of the population) was also found to be the most common. The least common is Hawaii (11%).

Long-term COVID-19 infections are also more common among people who had severe symptoms during their initial COVID-19 infection, and those who have now reported long-term COVID-19 infections. 31% of people said they first had severe COVID-19 symptoms, compared to just 7% who said they first had severe COVID-19 symptoms. A person who has been infected with the new coronavirus infection for a long period of time without developing the new coronavirus.

They say further research is needed to better understand how long COVID-19 causes different subclinical symptoms, while further research is needed to understand the potential impact of vaccination on long-term COVID-19 risk. say better long-term data are also needed.