Six percent of adults may have long COVID
A study has found that about 400 million individuals across the world may have developed long COVID, leading to large-scale effects on health care systems, according to an article published in The New York Times.
In the report, published in Nature Medicine, investigators examined studies focused on long COVID and found that about 6% of all adults and 1% of all children may have experienced long COVID since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this may only be a fraction of the patients who have gone on to develop the condition following infection, according to researchers.
Further, only about 7-10% of patients with long COVID have made full recoveries. A large proportion of the patients with the condition have developed chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dysautonomia. The investigators estimated that the total economic costs from long COVID may be up to $1 trillion because of the impact the condition has on patients’ ability to work or remain employed and an overburdened health care system.
More research into the treatments, diagnostics, biological mechanisms and socioeconomic effects of long COVID are needed to better understand how to manage the disease, according to the article. The findings may represent an opportunity to recommend policies designed to improve the quality of life of patients with long COVID.
Read more: The New York Times
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