Around 30% of Covid-19 patients develop ‘Long Covid’, research finds

30% of people treated for Covid-19 developed ‘Long Covid’, according to new research from UCLA.

People with a history of hospitalization, diabetes, and higher body mass index were most likely to develop the condition, while those who had undergone an organ transplant were less likely to develop it.

Ethnicity, older age and socioeconomic status were not associated with the syndrome, even though those characteristics have been linked with severe illness and greater risk of death from Covid-19.

Of the 309 people studied with Post Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), commonly known as ‘Long Covid’, the most persistent symptoms were fatigue and shortness of breath (31% and 15% respectively) in hospitalized persons, and loss of sense of smell (16%) in outpatients.

‘This study illustrates 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 type and persistence of Long COVID symptoms,’ said Dr Sun Yoo, Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Medical Director of the Extensivist Program. 

‘Studying outcomes in a single health system can minimize variation in quality of medical care. Our 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, we need better tools to accurately diagnose Long COVID and to differentiate it from exacerbations of other emerging or chronic conditions. Finally, we need to ensure equitable access to outpatient Long COVID care.’

The UCLA researchers studied 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.

Photo by Waldemar Brandt