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Abstract
Introduction Long COVID (LC) is a medical condition first described and documented through anecdotes on social media by patients prior to being recognised by WHO as a disease. Although >50 prolonged symptoms of LC have been described, it remains a diagnostic challenge for military providers and therefore threatens operational readiness.
Methods On 9 September 2021, an online survey was emailed to 2192 Belgian Defence personnel who had previously tested PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2 between 17 August 2020 and 31 May 2021. A total of 718 validated responses were received.
Descriptive analyses determined the prevalence of LC and 10 most common symptoms and their duration following infection. In the explanatory analyses, risk factors related to LC were identified. To establish the health-related impact of LC on quality of life (HRQoL), we used the results from the EuroQol 5 Dimension 5 Level questionnaire.
Results The most frequent symptoms that were reported for >3 months were fatigue, lack of energy and breathing difficulties.
47.35% of the respondents reported at least one persistent symptom, while 21.87% reported more than 3 symptoms lasting for at least 3 months after the initial COVID-19 infection. Most patients with LC suffered from symptoms of a neuropsychiatric nature (71.76%).
LC was significantly associated with obesity; pre-existing respiratory disease and blood or immune disorders. Physical activity of >3 hours per week halved the risk of LC.
The total QoL is reduced in patients with LC. Considering the five dimensions of the questionnaire, only the self-care dimension was not influenced by the presence of LC.
Conclusions Almost half of Belgian Defence personnel developed LC after a confirmed COVID-19 infection, similar to numbers found in the Belgian population. Patients with LC would likely benefit from a multidisciplinary rehabilitation approach that addresses shortness of breath, fatigue and mood disturbance.
- COVID-19
- mental health
- immunology
- epidemiology
- health policy
- public health
Data availability statement
No data are available. Because of the small sample size and the specificity of the information included (ie, patients identified with long COVID) in addition to other information (ie, the presence of specific diseases, gender, age, etc), the anonymity of the participants cannot be guaranteed when sharing the dataset.
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Data availability statement
No data are available. Because of the small sample size and the specificity of the information included (ie, patients identified with long COVID) in addition to other information (ie, the presence of specific diseases, gender, age, etc), the anonymity of the participants cannot be guaranteed when sharing the dataset.
Footnotes
Correction notice This article has been corrected since it first published. Acknowledgements have been added.
Contributors HM as the head researcher was responsible for the planning and conduct of the research and for the analysis of the data. SL as a contributor was responsible for the interpretation of the data and for reporting the work. ED as a contributor was responsible for the internal contacts and for the coordination of the internal processes (planning and conduct). NS as a contributor was responsible for the dissemination of the results of the study and for the contextualisation of the final results (reporting). KG as a coordinator and guarantor was responsible for the conception of the work, for recruiting the respondents and the interpretation of the results (planning and conduct). HM, NS, ED, SL and KG have read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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