AUTHOR=Nittas Vasileios , Gao Manqi , West Erin A. , Ballouz Tala , Menges Dominik , Wulf Hanson Sarah , Puhan Milo Alan 

TITLE=Long COVID Through a Public Health Lens: An Umbrella Review

JOURNAL=Public Health Reviews

VOLUME=43

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/public-health-reviews/articles/10.3389/phrs.2022.1604501

DOI=10.3389/phrs.2022.1604501

ISSN=2107-6952

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> To synthesize existing evidence on prevalence as well as clinical and socio-economic aspects of Long COVID.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> An umbrella review of reviews and a targeted evidence synthesis of their primary studies, including searches in four electronic databases, reference lists of included reviews, as well as related article lists of relevant publications.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Synthesis included 23 reviews and 102 primary studies. Prevalence estimates ranged from 7.5% to 41% in non-hospitalized adults, 2.3%–53% in mixed adult samples, 37.6% in hospitalized adults, and 2%–3.5% in primarily non-hospitalized children. Preliminary evidence suggests that female sex, age, comorbidities, the severity of acute disease, and obesity are associated with Long COVID. Almost 50% of primary studies reported some degree of Long COVID-related social and family-life impairment, long absence periods off work, adjusted workloads, and loss of employment.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Long COVID will likely have a substantial public health impact. Current evidence is still heterogeneous and incomplete. To fully understand Long COVID, well-designed prospective studies with representative samples will be essential.</p>