Scientists from UCLA found that 30% of people treated for COVID-19 developed Post Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), most commonly known as “Long COVID.”
In the 309 people with long COVID studied, the most persistent symptoms were fatigue and shortness of breath (31% and 15%, respectively) in hospitalized people, and loss of sense of smell (16%) in outpatients.
People with a history of hospitalization, diabetes, and higher body mass index were most likely to develop the condition, while those covered by Medicaid, as opposed to commercial health insurance, or had undergone an organ transplant were less likely to develop it.
The research is published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine and was conducted by Dr. Sun Yoo et al.
The incidence and risk factors of Long COVID, and even how to define the syndrome, have remained unclear throughout the pandemic.
In the study, the team examined 1,038 people who were enrolled in the UCLA COVID Ambulatory Program between April 2020 and February 2021.
Of those, 309 developed Long COVID. A person was determined to have the syndrome if they reported persistent symptoms on questionnaires 60 or 90 days after infection or hospitalization.
This study shows the need to follow diverse patient populations longitudinally to understand the Long COVID disease trajectory and evaluate how individual factors such as pre-existing co-morbidities, sociodemographic factors, vaccination status and virus variant type affect the type and persistence of Long COVID symptoms.
The study also raises questions such as: Why were patients with commercial insurance twice as likely to develop Long COVID than patients insured through Medicaid?
Because persistent symptoms can be subjective in nature, scientists need better tools to accurately diagnose Long COVID and to differentiate it from exacerbations of other emerging or chronic conditions.
Finally, scientists need to ensure equitable access to outpatient Long COVID care.
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