Long Covid: a global health issue – a prospective, cohort study set in four continents
- Authors: Pazukhina, Ekaterina; Garcia-Gallo, Esteban; Reyes, Luis Felipe; Kildal, Anders Benjamin; Jassat, Waasila; Dryden, Murray; Holter, Jan Cato; Chatterjee, Allegra; Gomez, Kyle; Søraas, Arne; Puntoni, Matteo; Latronico, Nicola; Bozza, Fernando A; Edelstein, Michael; Gonçalves, Bronner P; Kartsonaki, Christiana; Kruglova, Oksana; Gaião, Sérgio; Chow, Yock Ping; Doshi, Yash; Duque Vallejo, Sara Isabel; Ibáñez-Prada, Elsa D; Fuentes, Yuli V; Hastie, Claire; O'Hara, Margaret E; Balan, Valeria; Menkir, Tigist; Merson, Laura; Kelly, Sadie; Citarella, Barbara Wanjiru; Semple, Malcolm G; Scott, Janet T; Munblit, Daniel; Sigfrid, Louise;Laurent Abel, Amal Abrous, Younes Ait Tamlihat, Aliya Mohammed Alameen, Marta Alessi, Beatrice Alex, Kévin Alexandre, Adam Ali, Kazali Enagnon Alidjnou, Clotilde Allavena, Nathalie Allou, Claire Andrejak, Andrea Angheben, François Angoulvant, Séverine Ansart, Jean-Benoît Arlet, Elise Artaud-Macari, Jean Baptiste Assie, Johann Auchabie, Hugues Aumaitre, Adrien Auvet, Eyvind W Axelsen, Laurène Azemar, Cecile Azoulay, Benjamin Bach, Delphine Bachelet, Claudine Badr, John Kenneth Baillie, Firouzé Bani-Sadr, Wendy S Barclay, Marie Bartoli, JoaquÃn Baruch, Romain Basmaci, Jules Bauer, Alexandra Bedossa, Husna Begum, Marine Beluze, Nicolas Benech, Delphine Bergeaud, José Luis Bernal Sobrino, Giulia Bertoli, Simon Bessis, Sybille Bevilcaqua, Karine Bezulier, Krishna Bhavsar, Zeno Bisoffi, Laurent Bitker, Mathieu Blot, Laetitia Bodenes, Debby Bogaert, Anne-Hélène Boivin, Isabela Bolaños, Pierre-Adrien Bolze, Raphaël Borie, Elisabeth Botelho-Nevers, Lila Bouadma, Olivier Bouchaud, Sabelline Bouchez, Kévin Bouiller, Laurence Bouillet, Camile Bouisse, Anne-Sophie Boureau, Maude Bouscambert, Aurore Bousquet, Marielle Boyer-Besseyre, Axelle Braconnier, Sonja Hjellegjerde Brunvoll, Polina Bugaeva, Marielle Buisson, Danilo Buonsenso, Ingrid G Bustos, Denis Butnaru, Roar Bævre-Jensen, André Cabie, Eder Caceres, Cyril Cadoz, Jose Andres Calvache, Valentine Campana, Pauline Caraux-Paz, Nicolas Carlier, Thierry Carmoi, Marie-Christine Carret, Gail Carson, Maire-Laure Casanova, Guylaine Castor-Alexandre, François-Xavier Catherine, Minerva Cervantes-Gonzalez, Anissa Chair, Catherine Chakveatze, Meera Chand, Jean-Marc Chapplain, Charlotte Charpentier, Julie Chas, Léo Chenard, Antoine Cheret, Thibault Chiarabini, Catherine Chirouze, Bernard Cholley, Marie-Charlotte Chopin, Yock Ping Chow, Barbara Wanjiru Citarella, Sara Clohisey, Gwenhaël Colin, Marie Connor, Graham S Cooke, Hugues Cordel, Andrea Cortegiani, Grégory Corvaisier, Sandrine Couffin-Cadiergues, Roxane Courtois, Stéphanie Cousse, Juan Luis Cruz Bermúdez, Jaime Cruz Rojo, Elodie Curlier, Eric D'Ortenzio, Ana da Silva Filipe, Charlene Da Silveira, Andrew Dagens, John Arne Dahl, Jo Dalton, Etienne De Montmollin, Cristina De Rose, Thushan de Silva, Nathalie DeCastro, Alexa Debard, Marie-Pierre Debray, Romain Decours, Eve Defous, Isabelle Delacroix, Karen Delavigne, Christelle Delmas, Pierre Delobel, Elisa Demonchy, Emmanuelle Denis, Dominique Deplanque, Diane Descamps, Mathilde Desvallées, Alpha Diallo, Sylvain Diamantis, Fernanda Dias Da Silva, Kévin Didier, Jean-Luc Diehl, Vincent Dinot, Fara Diop, Alphonsine Diouf, Félix Djossou, Annemarie B Docherty, Christl A Donnelly, Céline Dorival, Nathalie Dournon, Thomas Drake, Amiel A Dror, Vincent Dubee, François Dubos, Alexandre Ducancelle, Susanne Dudman, Paul Dunand, Jake Dunning, Bertrand Dussol, Xavier Duval, Anne Margarita Dyrhol-Riise, Michael Edelstein, Linn Margrete Eggesbø, Mohammed El Sanharawi, Brigitte Elharrar, Merete Ellingjord-Dale, Philippine Eloy, Isabelle Enderle, Ilka Engelmann, Vincent Enouf, Olivier Epaulard, Hélène Esperou, Marina Esposito-Farese, Manuel Etienne, Marc Fabre, Isabelle Fabre, Cameron J Fairfield, Karine Faure, Raphaël Favory, François-Xavier Ferrand, Eglantine Ferrand Devouge, Nicolas Ferriere, Céline Ficko, William Finlayson, Thomas Flament
- Publication year: 2024
- Type: Articolo in rivista
- OA Link: http://hdl.handle.net/10447/661875
Abstract
Introduction: A proportion of people develop Long Covid after acute COVID-19, but with most studies concentrated in high-income countries (HICs), the global burden is largely unknown. Our study aims to characterise long-term COVID-19 sequelae in populations globally and compare the prevalence of reported symptoms in HICs and low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: A prospective, observational study in 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, including adults with confirmed COVID-19 assessed at 2 to <6 and 6 to <12 months post-hospital discharge. A standardised case report form developed by International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium's Global COVID-19 Follow-up working group evaluated the frequency of fever, persistent symptoms, breathlessness (MRC dyspnoea scale), fatigue and impact on daily activities. Results: Of 11 860 participants (median age: 52 (IQR: 41-62) years; 52.1% females), 56.5% were from HICs and 43.5% were from LMICs. The proportion identified with Long Covid was significantly higher in HICs vs LMICs at both assessment time points (69.0% vs 45.3%, p<0.001; 69.7% vs 42.4%, p<0.001). Participants in HICs were more likely to report not feeling fully recovered (54.3% vs 18.0%, p<0.001; 56.8% vs 40.1%, p<0.001), fatigue (42.9% vs 27.9%, p<0.001; 41.6% vs 27.9%, p<0.001), new/persistent fever (19.6% vs 2.1%, p<0.001; 20.3% vs 2.0%, p<0.001) and have a higher prevalence of anxiety/depression and impact on usual activities compared with participants in LMICs at 2 to <6 and 6 to <12 months post-COVID-19 hospital discharge, respectively. Conclusion: Our data show that Long Covid affects populations globally, manifesting similar symptomatology and impact on functioning in both HIC and LMICs. The prevalence was higher in HICs versus LMICs. Although we identified a lower prevalence, the impact of Long Covid may be greater in LMICs if there is a lack of support systems available in HICs. Further research into the aetiology of Long Covid and the burden in LMICs is critical to implement effective, accessible treatment and support strategies to improve COVID-19 outcomes for all.