Minister receives report
On November 25, 2024, the report 'Post-COVID: Impact on health, daily life and healthcare use - Results of 2 years of research' was presented to Minister Fleur Agema of Health, Welfare and Sport. The research was conducted by Erasmus MC in collaboration with C-support under the name 'Multi-year Long COVID research.' Over a period of two years, 7.750 post-COVID patients registered with C-support participated in this research. It shows that the consequences for patients are significant, both for their health and for the impact on their lives.
Post-COVID has a significant and long-lasting impact on physical and mental health. In this two-year study, a large proportion of participants have still not recovered after the second measurement and the quality of life is low on average. Recovery varies over time with large differences between patients. For example, there are also participants who are now doing well or better. On average, some outcomes show slight improvement over time, while other outcomes hardly change. Age, factors in the disease process after infection with COVID-19 and education level play a role in whether or not the degree of recovery and quality of life improve.
The pattern of complaints of post-COVID patients varies, but fatigue and cognitive problems are experienced by almost all participants. Post-COVID causes significant limitations in daily functioning and leads to high healthcare use. Demographic and medical characteristics of post-COVID patients play a role in the number of healthcare providers they have consulted. The consequences of post-COVID are also clearly visible on work and education, financial situation and the ability to participate in social life, family and society. A large proportion of patients need help from others. The lack of recognition and finding the right support and care is a burden for patients that they have to bear in addition to their post-COVID complaints.
Below you will find the report, the appendices and the public summary.
Public summary report
To easily read the information in the report, you can view the public summary. This provides a clear overview of the most important results and recommendations.
