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The Growing Burden of Long COVID in the United Kingdom - Insights from the UK Coronavirus Infection Survey
14 Pages Posted: 18 Aug 2022
More...Abstract
Background: Anosmia has been widely recognised as a feature of acute COVID infection, but the importance of chemosensory dysfunction in long COVID is less well characterised. This study used data from the UK Coronavirus Infection Survey (CIS) to report the prevalence of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) related symptoms of long COVID and the population groups at greatest risk.
Methods: The UK CIS involved longitudinal follow-up of patients from private households identified through repeated cross sectional national surveys. Volunteers were aged 2 years or older with no upper age limit and were randomly selected from previous national household surveys and address lists. A total of 362,771 responses were received between 6th March 2022 and 3 rd April 2022 representing almost 1·8 million people.
Findings: Twenty-three long COVID symptoms were reported, with fatigue being the most common symptom (50%). ENT-related long COVID symptoms included dyspnoea (32·9%), anosmia (26·4%), ageusia (20·6%), vertigo (12·7%), sore throat (9·6%), wheezing (10·8%), rhinorrhoea and sneezing (11·1%). Women (3·2%) were more frequently affected than men (2·34%). Those of White ethnic origin (2·85%) had significantly higher prevalence rates of long COVID than those of Asian (2·03%) or Black (1·59%) ethnicity.
Interpretation: The recognition of sneezing, rhinorrhoea and wheezing in addition to smell/taste disturbances, vertigo, and sore throat, as long COVID symptoms signifies the increasing burden of long COVID. Action and policy on long COVID should focus on the most vulnerable groups, such as White women of ages 35-49 and those working in education, health, and social care.
Funding Information: The CIS was funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The authors of this report received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of Interests: None declared.
Ethics Approval Statement: The CIS was given ethical approval by South Central – Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee (20/SC/0195).
Keywords: Otolaryngology, Respiratory tract infections, COVID-19
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation