More than 3% of adults and 5% of young people have post-COVID
More than 3% of adults (over 26 years old) indicate that they continue to suffer from complaints after a corona infection, sometimes for several years. Among young people between the ages of 12 and 25, this is approximately 5%. This is evident from the new quarterly survey among young people and adults of the Network for Disaster Health Research (GOR Network).
Results from the research
According to the Health Survey COVID-19 by Netwerk GOR, almost a quarter of adults and a fifth of young people with long-term complaints indicate that they feel very limited in daily life. They often feel very tired, have memory and concentration problems and are often short of breath. Adults often indicate that they are less able to take on their responsibilities, such as housework or work.
The survey also asked how long people had been experiencing symptoms after infection. Among adults, 39% said they had been experiencing symptoms for 1 to 2 years and 32% for 2 to 3 years. Among young people, 30% said they had had these symptoms for 1 to 2 years and 9% for 2 to 3 years. The answers also show that 36% of adults with these symptoms received a post-COVID diagnosis from their GP. 39% of young people also received this diagnosis from their GP. In addition, 39% of adults and 44% of young people say that they themselves, or people who know them well, think that they have post-COVID.
Furthermore, according to the RIVM, new data from general practitioners shows that the number of adults visiting their GP for memory and concentration problems is still considerably higher than before the corona period. It is striking that this increase mainly occurs in the age group 24-45 years. There is an increase of 60% compared to 2019. Strikingly enough, the number of visits for memory and concentration problems among the elderly appears to be back at the level of 2019.
Confirmation
The findings that emerged from this Health Survey COVID-19 are a confirmation for C-support of what we see in daily practice. In addition, the findings are in line with the results of the multi-year post-COVID study that Erasmus MC is conducting for us. The almost 4.500 participants in this study have been ill for an average of 2 years and 4 months. Of these, 71% have not recovered at all or have only half recovered. Many still experience a wide variety of disabling complaints. 80% of the participants still have memory and concentration problems.
