Prepandemic Respiratory Conditions Make Long COVID More Likely, Study Finds

A new study published in BMC Infectious Diseases found that “adults with prepandemic respiratory conditions, including asthma, bronchitis, and recurrent upper respiratory infections, are significantly more likely to develop long COVID after a mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infection.” CIDRAP has the news.

Researchers in Sweden “identified 5,589 adults diagnosed as having long COVID in 2021 and matched them to 47,561 controls.” Those later diagnosed with long COVID had “significantly higher odds of having had a documented respiratory disease in 2019, prior to SARS-CoV-2 circulation.” The study focused exclusively on non-hospitalized patients.

Rates of long COVID appear to be declining at the population level, but it remains common. A research letter published in JAMA Network Open estimated that “8.3% of U.S. adults report having experienced long COVID.”

Among that group of people, “60% reported recovery over time in 2024—compared with 51% in 2020—with the prevalence of long COVID declining during the study period. Still, certain groups remain disproportionately affected. Female sex, age 35 to 64 years, and lower household income were consistently associated with higher odds of long COVID.”