What is long COVID? Quantifying the enduring and disparate effects of COVID-19

The Problem

Many people infected with COVID-19 suffer from persistent health complications, often collectively referred to as long COVID. However, a clear case definition for long COVID remains elusive, as it may present with a wide range of symptoms. Long COVID is also difficult to separate from possible confounding factors like pre-pandemic comorbidities, the effect of prolonged hospital stays, and general deterioration in health during the pandemic.

This project aims to quantify the recovery patterns of long COVID and identify potential disparities related to long COVID.

The Approach

The research team uses data from the Utah All Payer Claims Database, which includes all commercially-insured healthcare use in the state. The database includes Medicaid and Medicare Advantage, but excludes traditional Medicare. From the database, the researchers sampled individuals who were hospitalized with either COVID-19 between March 2020 and March 2021, or acute respiratory infection (ARI) in 2017 or 2018. To be included in the sample, individuals needed to survive 12 months after hospitalization.

The research team quantified the recovery patterns of long COVID by tracking rates of healthcare utilization and diagnoses. They compared these rates between people with COVID-19 and people that had ARI prior to the pandemic. The researchers controlled for age, gender, health risk score, Medicaid status, and hospitalization intensity. Recovery patterns were analyzed based on race and ethnicity, age, and geographic disparities.