New global estimate suggests 6.2% had long-COVID symptomsA new global estimate of people who experienced long-COVID symptoms after having symptomatic COVID infection suggests that 6.2% reported one of three long-term symptom clusters, an international research group reported yesterday in JAMA.The experts, called the Global Burden of Disease Long COVID Collaborators, based their modeling estimates on data pooled from 54 studies and 2 medical record databases, which spanned 1.2 million people from 22 countries who were sick in 2020 and 2021, a period that largely didn't include the Omicron variant wave.
They estimated proportions of people who had at least one of three symptom clusters 3 months after COVID infection.The symptom clusters were lingering respiratory problems, persistent fatigue with body pain or mood swings, and cognitive problems.
Ongoing respiratory problems were the most common cluster, at 3.7%, followed by persistent fatigue at 3.2% and cognitive problems at 2.2%.The risk was greater in females and in people who were hospitalized for their COVID infections.The authors said the long-COVID sex difference is distinct from severe COVID infection, which is more common in males.
They said the difference suggests that the underlying long-COVID mechanism may be different, suggesting a possible autoimmune role for long-COVID development.The group also found that the sex difference were similar in those younger than 20.