• Bryan Lau, Eryka Wentz, Zhanmo Ni, Karine Yenokyan, Candelaria Vergara, Shruti H Mehta, and Priya Duggal.
• Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.
• Am. J. Med. 2023 Sep 9.

BackgroundPersistent symptoms after severe acute respiratory disease coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2; long COVID) occur in 10%-55% of individuals, but the impact on daily functioning and disability remains unquantified.MethodsTo characterize disability associated with long COVID, we analyzed baseline data from an online, US-based cohort study. Adult participants included those reporting a history of COVID-19 (n = 8874) or never having COVID-19 (n = 633) without prior disability. The main outcomes were self-reported physical mobility, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and mental fatigue disability, assessed by measuring 5 disability components: difficulty walking a quarter mile or climbing 10 stairs (mobility), difficulty doing light or heavy housework (IADL), and Wood Mental Fatigue Inventory score (mental fatigue).ResultsOf 7926 participants with long COVID, 65% were classified with at least one disability, as compared with 6% and 14% for resolved COVID and no COVID, respectively. Additionally, 22% were classified as disabled in all 3 categories. Age, prior comorbidity, increased body mass index, female sex, COVID-19 hospitalization, non-white/multi-race were associated with higher disability burden. Dizziness and heavy limbs at infection were associated with disability regardless of hospitalization. Dyspnea and tremors were associated with disability in non-hospitalized individuals. Vaccination was protective against disability.ConclusionsWe observed a high burden of new disability associated with long COVID, which has serious implications for individual and societal health. Longitudinal evaluation of COVID-19 patients is necessary to identify patterns of recovery and treatment options.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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