Abstract
Abstract citation ID: ckac 129.137. Contribution for the15th European Public Health Conference 2022
An increasing number of individuals continue reporting symptoms following the acute stage of Covid-19 infection. Few studies have investigated the factors related to Long Covid. Our aim was to assess how multimorbidity, socio-economic factors (immigration, education, employment, and income), and country of residence affect the presence and number of persistent symptoms attributable to Covid-19 illness in Europe.We used data from the SHARE Corona surveys collected in 2020 and 2021. The sample included 4,004 respondents aged 50 years and older who were affected by the Corona virus. The outcome was the number of persistent symptoms attributable to Covid-19 illness, including: fatigue; cough, congestion, shortness of breath; loss of taste or smell; headache; body aches, joint pain; chest or abdominal pain; diarrhoea, nausea; and confusion. We conducted a multilevel analysis for a hurdle model with negative binomial distribution.Overall, 73\19 illness and, on average, they had 2.73 symptoms. However, there were some statistically significant across country differences in the presence and number of symptoms. Respondents who were employed were more likely to report at least one symptom (OR = 1.40) and those with higher levels of education were less likely to report any symptoms (OR = 0.67). Respondents with multimorbidity had an increased risk of experiencing an additional symptom (RR = 1.12) while respondents who were employed had a decreased risk of experiencing an additional symptom (RR = 0.85).Presence and number of persistent symptoms associated with Covid-19 illness was highly prevalent and varied significantly across European countries. Evidence from the present work underscores the need to target high-risk groups and those with multimorbidity to reduce long-term health consequences of Covid-19.
An increasing number of individuals continue reporting symptoms following the acute stage of Covid-19 infection. Few studies have investigated the factors related to Long Covid. Our aim was to assess how multimorbidity, socio-economic factors (immigration, education, employment, and income), and country of residence affect the presence and number of persistent symptoms attributable to Covid-19 illness in Europe.We used data from the SHARE Corona surveys collected in 2020 and 2021. The sample included 4,004 respondents aged 50 years and older who were affected by the Corona virus. The outcome was the number of persistent symptoms attributable to Covid-19 illness, including: fatigue; cough, congestion, shortness of breath; loss of taste or smell; headache; body aches, joint pain; chest or abdominal pain; diarrhoea, nausea; and confusion. We conducted a multilevel analysis for a hurdle model with negative binomial distribution.Overall, 73\19 illness and, on average, they had 2.73 symptoms. However, there were some statistically significant across country differences in the presence and number of symptoms. Respondents who were employed were more likely to report at least one symptom (OR = 1.40) and those with higher levels of education were less likely to report any symptoms (OR = 0.67). Respondents with multimorbidity had an increased risk of experiencing an additional symptom (RR = 1.12) while respondents who were employed had a decreased risk of experiencing an additional symptom (RR = 0.85).Presence and number of persistent symptoms associated with Covid-19 illness was highly prevalent and varied significantly across European countries. Evidence from the present work underscores the need to target high-risk groups and those with multimorbidity to reduce long-term health consequences of Covid-19.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | ckac129.137 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | European Journal of Public Health |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | S.3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2022 |