A new study based on UK adults shows 9%, or nearly 1 in 10, think they could have long COVID but aren't sure, according to researchers from the University of Southampton. The findings were published today in Health Expectations.
The study highlights the persistent confusions about the chronic condition years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the authors said the findings were unexpected.
"We were really surprised to find so many people weren’t sure whether they had Long Covid or not, and the study shows there is still work to do to increase awareness of the condition and remove barriers to accessing diagnosis, treatment and support,” said Mirembe Woodrow, MS, a doctoral student and first study author, in a press release from the University of Southampton.
The study shows there is still work to do to increase awareness of the condition and remove barriers to accessing diagnosis, treatment and support,”
The findings come from the GP Patient Survey, a random sample of 759,149 patients aged 16 years and older in 2023.
5% confident they have long COVID
The survey asked, "Would you describe yourself as having 'Long Covid,' that is, you are still experiencing symptoms more than 12 weeks after you first had COVID-19, that are not explained by something else?" Respondents could select "yes," "no," "not sure," or "prefer not to say."
Among those who answered "yes" to having long COVID, 59.9% were female, and 60.7% were 35 to 64 years old.
In total, 4.8% of respondents said they had long COVID, and 9.1% said they were unsure. Nine percent of people who described themselves as permanently sick or disabled had long COVID.
Disability, low-income linked to long COVID
The authors found both disability and unemployment to be the most highly correlated factors associated with long COVID. People who were unemployed or permanently sick or disabled were more likely to have long COVID (unadjusted odds ratios [aORs], 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 1.19 and 1.92; 95% CI, 1.84 to 2.00, respectively).
The UK Office for National Statistics estimated in March 2024 that 2 million adults and children in the country experience long COVID (3.3% of the population), and, of those, 19% reported that long COVID limited daily activities.
In the study, those living in the most deprived areas of the country had 47% higher odds compared to the least of reporting long COVID (aOR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.42 to 1.53).
The authors noted a high prevalence of long COVID in people who were deaf and using sign language (14.6%), and those who had Alzheimer's/dementia (9.2%), autism (8.8%), a breathing condition (9.0%), or a mental health condition (9.2%).
'This study adds new evidence that there are more people who are unsure whether they have LC [long COVID] than those who are confident they have it, again some from more vulnerable groups," the authors concluded. "This study adds new evidence that there are more people who are unsure whether they have LC than those who are confident they have it, again some from more vulnerable groups."
