Risk factors, health outcomes, healthcare services utilization, and direct medical costs of patients with long COVID
Objectives: Data on the economic burden of long COVID are scarce. We aimed to examine the prevalence and medical costs of treating long COVID. Methods: We conducted this historical cohort study using data from patients with COVID-19 among members of a large health provider in Israel. Cases were defi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971222006403 |
| _version_ | 1828006397200039936 |
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| author | Lilac Tene Tobias Bergroth Anna Eisenberg Shirley Shapiro Ben David Gabriel Chodick |
| author_facet | Lilac Tene Tobias Bergroth Anna Eisenberg Shirley Shapiro Ben David Gabriel Chodick |
| author_sort | Lilac Tene |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: Data on the economic burden of long COVID are scarce. We aimed to examine the prevalence and medical costs of treating long COVID. Methods: We conducted this historical cohort study using data from patients with COVID-19 among members of a large health provider in Israel. Cases were defined according to physician diagnosis (definite long COVID) or suggestive symptoms given ≥ 4 weeks from infection (probable cases). Healthcare resource utilization and direct healthcare costs (HCCs) in the period before infection and afterward were compared across study groups. Results: Between March 2020, and March 2021, a total of 180,759 COVID-19 patients (mean [SD] age = 32.9 years [19.0 years]; 89,665 [49.6%] females) were identified. Overall, 14,088 (7.8%) individuals developed long COVID (mean [SD] age = 40.0 years [19.0 years]; 52.4% females). Among them, 1477(10.5%) were definite long COVID and 12,611(89.5%) were defined as probable long COVID. Long COVID was associated with age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.058 per year, 95% CI: 1.053-1.063), female sex (AOR = 1.138; 95% CI: 1.098-1.180), smoking (AOR = 1.532; 95% CI: 1.358-1.727), and symptomatic acute phase (AOR = 1.178; 95% CI: 1.133-1.224), primarily muscle pain and cough. Hypertension was an important risk factor for long COVID among younger adults. Compared with patients with non-long COVID, definite and probable cases were associated with AORs of 2.47 (2.22-2.75) and 1.76 (1.68-1.84) for post-COVID hospitalization, respectively. Although among patients with non-long COVID HCCs decreased from $1400 during 4 months before the infection to $1021 and among patients with long COVID, HCCs increased from $2435 to $2810. Conclusion: Long COVID is associated with a substantial increase in the utilization of healthcare services and direct medical costs. Our findings underline the need for timely planning and allocating resources for patient-centered care for patients with long COVID as well as for its secondary prevention in high-risk patients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:56:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9353eafeffeb486ea7f5df552bbfe049 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1201-9712 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:56:34Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-9353eafeffeb486ea7f5df552bbfe0492023-02-23T04:30:17ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Infectious Diseases1201-97122023-03-01128310Risk factors, health outcomes, healthcare services utilization, and direct medical costs of patients with long COVIDLilac Tene0Tobias Bergroth1Anna Eisenberg2Shirley Shapiro Ben David3Gabriel Chodick4Maccabitech, Maccabi Institute for Research and Innovation, Maccabi Healthcare services, Tel Aviv, IsraelCenter for Observational and Real-world Evidence (CORE), MSD, SwedenMSD, Hod-HaSharon, IsraelMedical Division, Maccabi Healthcare Services, Tel Aviv, IsraelMaccabitech, Maccabi Institute for Research and Innovation, Maccabi Healthcare services, Tel Aviv, Israel; Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Corresponding authorObjectives: Data on the economic burden of long COVID are scarce. We aimed to examine the prevalence and medical costs of treating long COVID. Methods: We conducted this historical cohort study using data from patients with COVID-19 among members of a large health provider in Israel. Cases were defined according to physician diagnosis (definite long COVID) or suggestive symptoms given ≥ 4 weeks from infection (probable cases). Healthcare resource utilization and direct healthcare costs (HCCs) in the period before infection and afterward were compared across study groups. Results: Between March 2020, and March 2021, a total of 180,759 COVID-19 patients (mean [SD] age = 32.9 years [19.0 years]; 89,665 [49.6%] females) were identified. Overall, 14,088 (7.8%) individuals developed long COVID (mean [SD] age = 40.0 years [19.0 years]; 52.4% females). Among them, 1477(10.5%) were definite long COVID and 12,611(89.5%) were defined as probable long COVID. Long COVID was associated with age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.058 per year, 95% CI: 1.053-1.063), female sex (AOR = 1.138; 95% CI: 1.098-1.180), smoking (AOR = 1.532; 95% CI: 1.358-1.727), and symptomatic acute phase (AOR = 1.178; 95% CI: 1.133-1.224), primarily muscle pain and cough. Hypertension was an important risk factor for long COVID among younger adults. Compared with patients with non-long COVID, definite and probable cases were associated with AORs of 2.47 (2.22-2.75) and 1.76 (1.68-1.84) for post-COVID hospitalization, respectively. Although among patients with non-long COVID HCCs decreased from $1400 during 4 months before the infection to $1021 and among patients with long COVID, HCCs increased from $2435 to $2810. Conclusion: Long COVID is associated with a substantial increase in the utilization of healthcare services and direct medical costs. Our findings underline the need for timely planning and allocating resources for patient-centered care for patients with long COVID as well as for its secondary prevention in high-risk patients.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971222006403Long COVIDSARS-CoV-2Healthcare services useDirect medical costs |
| spellingShingle | Lilac Tene Tobias Bergroth Anna Eisenberg Shirley Shapiro Ben David Gabriel Chodick Risk factors, health outcomes, healthcare services utilization, and direct medical costs of patients with long COVID International Journal of Infectious Diseases Long COVID SARS-CoV-2 Healthcare services use Direct medical costs |
| title | Risk factors, health outcomes, healthcare services utilization, and direct medical costs of patients with long COVID |
| title_full | Risk factors, health outcomes, healthcare services utilization, and direct medical costs of patients with long COVID |
| title_fullStr | Risk factors, health outcomes, healthcare services utilization, and direct medical costs of patients with long COVID |
| title_full_unstemmed | Risk factors, health outcomes, healthcare services utilization, and direct medical costs of patients with long COVID |
| title_short | Risk factors, health outcomes, healthcare services utilization, and direct medical costs of patients with long COVID |
| title_sort | risk factors health outcomes healthcare services utilization and direct medical costs of patients with long covid |
| topic | Long COVID SARS-CoV-2 Healthcare services use Direct medical costs |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971222006403 |
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