Researchers analyzed 2022 data from the Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys completed by 108,237 COVID-19 survivors who did or didn't have persistent symptoms. Participants' health-related quality of life (HRQL) was assessed via SRGH, self-reported mental and physical health, and efficiency in completing activities of daily life.
Of all participants, 35% were aged 18 to 34 years, 46.5% were men, and 22.7% had long COVID, also known as post-COVID condition (PCC), defined as having lingering symptoms at least 3 months post-infection.
Researchers found that those with SARS-CoV-2 infections had a 63% increased risk of developing one or more cardiovascular conditions—including arrhythmias, heart inflammation, chest pain, palpitations, and hypertension—compared to those with negative tests and no documented history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These risks were elevated regardless of whether the patient had a congenital heart defect (CHD).
Young patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests had a 17 percent higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease tested at stage 2 or higher, indicating mild kidney damage that still functioned well, and 35 percent higher risk of chronic kidney disease at stage 3 or higher, meaning there is mild to severe damage impacting kidney function, from one month to two years after infection.
Patients who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test—compared to those with a negative test—had a 25 percent increased risk of developing at least one gastrointestinal symptom or disorder in the post-acute phase, and a 28 percent increased risk in the “chronic phase” from six months to two years after the SARS-CoV-2 test.
Five years after the pandemic’s start, millions of Americans are still struggling with long-lasting symptoms of Covid-19. Cognitive difficulties are among the most troubling and common symptoms in people both old and young. These ailments can be severe enough to leave former professionals like Ken Todd unable to work and even diagnosed with a form of mild cognitive impairment.
In a cohort of 836,913 people (231,899 with a positive Covid test and 605,014 without), the people who tested positive and were not hospitalized for it had:
"From January 2018 to March 1, 2020 — the date researchers used as the cutoff for the pre-COVID era — the study found an estimate of 4.21 new cases diagnosed per month. That rose to 22.66 new cases per month from March 2, 2020, to June 2024, representing a more than five-fold increase. The study also found the incidence rate of POTS was 1.42 per 1 million person-years before COVID and 20.3 cases per 1 million person-years after COVID."
