Prolonged spread of the new coronavirus will lead to increased medical demand and costs

People with long-term COVID-19 disease use health services to a greater extent than before their illness. diagnosis. These patients had to use more GP, outpatient, inpatient, and emergency department services than other control groups, and had more than twice as much healthcare costs.

These are the results of a major study that will have a significant impact on health service resources around the world. Long-term COVID-19 has affected 1.9 million people in the UK, and it is estimated that at least 65 million people have contracted long-term COVID-19 worldwide after the first wave of the pandemic.

A study published today, 28 November 2024, in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine analyzed how 280,000 people with long-term coronavirus infections are using health services in the UK. Researchers found that patients with long-term Covid-19 infection required a median of £705 in medical services per year. Before being diagnosed with Longcorona, the median annual NHS cost for these people was £294.

For comparison, this study looked at different control groups. This includes more than 1 million new coronavirus infections, but does not include long coronavirus infections. Median healthcare costs for these people were £447 per year.

Of all the people studied, those with long-term COVID-19 infections had the highest two-year hospitalization rates. Each year, people with long-term coronavirus infections had more GP visits (median 9.90) and outpatient appointments (median 1.07) per person than all controls. The analysis showed that long-corona patients had higher rates of emergency department attendance than all control groups and significantly more hospitalizations than all but one control group.

Long The reason COVID-19 is so costly to health services and incapacitating for patients is because it is a heterogeneous and complex condition that affects multiple organs. These are likely caused by multiple underlying mechanisms. Despite scientific advances, this new syndrome is not yet fully defined.

Long-term COVID-19 is a debilitating illness that manifests in many different ways and has far-reaching effects on those affected. In this context, it is understandable that people with COVID-19 have complex medical needs and access far more services than other people.

Health systems are under strain, with staff and infrastructure strained due to the lingering effects of the coronavirus. Our study quantifies the costs and shows that the health service needs of long-term coronavirus patients range from general practitioners, outpatients, inpatients, and emergency departments, and the median annual cost per person for patients with long-term coronavirus is It turned out to be more than double the number before getting infected with the virus. ”

Dr. Yi Mu of the Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, co-lead author of the study

Dr Ashkan Dashtvan from the Institute of Health Informatics at University College London, co-lead author of the study, said:

“Governments and policymakers must take immediate action. Treatment and prevention of long coronaviruses must be prioritized in research, practice and policy.”

Study participants were adults infected with long-term coronavirus between January 2020 and January 2023. Of the 282,080 people, the average age was 48 years and the most affected age group was 40-59 years. There were no significant differences by social deprivation, with 20.5% for the most deprived and 18.8% for the least deprived. The regions in the North West of England (21.2%), London (14.4%) and the South West (14.2%) accounted for the highest proportions.

Healthcare utilization in 282,080 people with long-term COVID-19 infection over two years: A multiple matched-control, longitudinal cohort analysis was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.