TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of pre-existing comorbidities and multimorbidities, demography and viral variants on post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (‘Long COVID’) in Dutch primary care
T2 - A retrospective cohort study
AU - Berends, Matthijs S
AU - Homburg, Maarten
AU - Kupers, Thijmen
AU - Meijer, Eline N
AU - Bos, Isabelle
AU - Verheij, Robert
AU - Kuiper, Jeroen
AU - Berger, Marjolein Y
AU - Peters, Lilian L
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
PY - 2025/7
Y1 - 2025/7
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), or Long COVID, involves persistent symptoms following acute infection, posing a global health challenge. While a growing number of studies have investigated potential predictors and risk factors, uncertainties remain regarding their consistency and clinical applicability. This study investigates PASC prevalence, comorbidities, demographics, and viral variants using Dutch primary care electronic healthcare records (EHR).METHODS: A retrospective cohort study used EHR data from 59 general practices in northern Netherlands, including 19,638 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021. PASC was identified via WHO and CDC guidelines, a Dutch Word2Vec model, and clinical assessments. Relative risk (RR) calculations analyzed comorbidities, demographics, and viral variants.RESULTS: PASC prevalence was 5.8% (CI95%: 5.4-6.1%). Comorbidities significantly increasing PASC risk included lung disease (RR: 1.95), cardiovascular disease (RR: 1.73), diabetes (RR: 1.82), kidney disease (RR: 1.98), and mental illness (RR: 1.29). Females and individuals aged ≥45 had increased risk. Multivariate regression revealed higher odds of prolonged PASC for ages 45-59 (AOR: 3.02), 60-74 (AOR: 3.25), and 75+ (AOR: 2.44). Combined mental illness and lung disease further increased risk (AOR: 2.55).CONCLUSION: Chronic conditions, multimorbidity, and demographics significantly influence PASC onset and duration. Targeted interventions may mitigate its long-term impact.
AB - INTRODUCTION: Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), or Long COVID, involves persistent symptoms following acute infection, posing a global health challenge. While a growing number of studies have investigated potential predictors and risk factors, uncertainties remain regarding their consistency and clinical applicability. This study investigates PASC prevalence, comorbidities, demographics, and viral variants using Dutch primary care electronic healthcare records (EHR).METHODS: A retrospective cohort study used EHR data from 59 general practices in northern Netherlands, including 19,638 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021. PASC was identified via WHO and CDC guidelines, a Dutch Word2Vec model, and clinical assessments. Relative risk (RR) calculations analyzed comorbidities, demographics, and viral variants.RESULTS: PASC prevalence was 5.8% (CI95%: 5.4-6.1%). Comorbidities significantly increasing PASC risk included lung disease (RR: 1.95), cardiovascular disease (RR: 1.73), diabetes (RR: 1.82), kidney disease (RR: 1.98), and mental illness (RR: 1.29). Females and individuals aged ≥45 had increased risk. Multivariate regression revealed higher odds of prolonged PASC for ages 45-59 (AOR: 3.02), 60-74 (AOR: 3.25), and 75+ (AOR: 2.44). Combined mental illness and lung disease further increased risk (AOR: 2.55).CONCLUSION: Chronic conditions, multimorbidity, and demographics significantly influence PASC onset and duration. Targeted interventions may mitigate its long-term impact.
KW - Comorbidities
KW - General practitioners
KW - Long COVID
KW - PASC
KW - Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19
KW - Post-COVID
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105005431053&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107912
DO - 10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107912
M3 - Article
C2 - 40258532
SN - 1201-9712
VL - 156
JO - International Journal of Infectious Diseases
JF - International Journal of Infectious Diseases
M1 - 107912
ER -