"Lingering Post-COVID Impacts Similar to Symptoms of Non-COVID Illnesses"
Dr. Joann Elmore co-authored research that warns of long-term effects of the pandemic
People suffering from long COVID-19 experience lingering negative effects on their physical, mental and social well-being in ways similar to symptoms endured by patients who are sick with other illnesses, according to UCLA research published today.
The findings, published in the peer-reviewed JAMA Network Open, are based on a comparison of people known to have been infected with COVID with individuals with similar symptoms who tested negative for the respiratory disease. The researchers found that 40% of the COVID-positive and 54% of the COVID-negative group reported moderate-to-severe residual symptoms three months after enrolling in the study.
"Many diseases, including COVID, can lead to symptoms negatively impacting one's sense of well-being lasting months after initial infection, which is what we saw here," said lead author Lauren Wisk, assistant professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Nationally recognized health services researcher and sociomedical scientist with 25+ years' experience in effectiveness and implementation research.
EMPH Academic Program Director with expertise in healthcare marketing, finance, and reproductive health policy, teaching in the EMPH, MPH, MHA program
Dr. Ron Andersen is the Wasserman Professor Emeritus in the UCLA Departments of Health Policy and Management.
Professor of Community Health Sciences & Health Policy and Management, and Associate Dean for Research