A new global analysis of studies shows that long COVID is highly prevalent. CIDRAP has the news.
The study showed “the global pooled long COVID prevalence through May 2024 was 36%.” Long COVID was also persistent when “study follow-up was 1 or 2 years, but overall prevalence estimates varied widely across studies, ranging from 3% to 80% in studies published last year.”
The three strongest risk factors for long COVID turned out to be “being unvaccinated, infections from pre-Omicron variants, and female sex.” Studies that “included only hospitalized patients found higher rates of long COVID than those who had patients with mild cases of the virus.” The two most commonly identified symptoms of long COVID were “memory problems and muscle weakness, both with estimated prevalence of 11%.”
Another study surveyed U.S. teens in the summer of 2022 about long COVID. Surveys were given to 784 respondents from the age of 12 to 17. 264 of those respondents said “they had tested positive for COVID-19, 291 never tested positive, and 229 were never tested” for infection. At least one symptom lasting 4 weeks or longer “was reported by 41% of the positive respondents, compared to 12% of negative respondents and 11% of never-tested respondents. There was no association between COVID variant and odds of reporting lasting symptoms.”
Additionally, “most symptoms resolved within three months, and less than 30% of adolescents reporting symptoms who tested positive reported their symptoms persisted for three or more months.”
