ArticleBMC public health2021
Patterns and predictors of sick leave after Covid-19 and long Covid in a national Swedish cohort.
Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 81 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
81 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 123 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors influencing work ability and return-to-work in individuals affected by post-COVID: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Systematic review of post-COVID condition in Nordic population-based registry studies.Nature communications · 2025Pooled it
- Work ability and return-to-work of patients with post-COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Risk factors and preventive interventions for post Covid-19 condition: systematic review.Emerging microbes & infections · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Neurocognitive and psychological symptoms in post COVID-19 patients (PASC24): prospective cohort study protocol.BMJ open · 2026Observational
- Post-acute organ complications within one year following COVID-19 hospitalization and related socioeconomic inequalities.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Assessment and Incidence Determination of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Following a SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Prospective Cohort of Hospital Employees.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Work ability and associated factors among individuals with Post COVID-19 condition- a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Sickness absence in the working age population: a retrospective cohort study using primary care health record data.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Estimating the risk of post-COVID condition in deprived communities, migrants and ethnic minorities in England: findings from Virus Watch-a prospective community cohort study.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2026Article
- Functional impact of long Covid on work performance and return to work: a cross-sectional study.Revista de saude publica · 2026Article
- Characterising disability in patients with long COVID-does gender matter? an analytic cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Identifying essential COVID-19 indicators for primary healthcare through Delphi analysis in 31 European countries: Eurodata eDelphi study.European journal of public health · 2025Article
- COVID-19-related sickness absence among 4,721 NHS staff in England and its relation with long COVID symptoms: findings from NHS CHECK.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- The 1-Year Functional Recovery From Severe COVID-19 in a Swedish Working-Age Cohort.Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · 2025Article
- Determinants of work ability among health and social services workers with work-related COVID-19 infection in Germany.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Long COVID-19 and longer sick leave: longitudinal study of economically active patients.ERJ open research · 2025Article
- Sickness absence among blue-collar workers in the retail and wholesale industry during the COVID-19 pandemic; a longitudinal cohort study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
21 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe impact of Covid-19 and its long-term consequences is not yet fully understood. Sick leave can be seen as an indicator of health in a working age population, and the present study aimed to investigate sick-leave patterns after Covid-19, and potential factors predicting longer sick leave in hospitalised and non-hospitalised people with Covid-19.
methodsThe present study is a comprehensive national registry-based study in Sweden with a 4-month follow-up. All people who started to receive sickness benefits for Covid-19 during March 1 to August 31, 2020, were included. Predictors of sick leave ≥1 month and long Covid (≥12 weeks) were analysed with logistic regression in the total population and in separate models depending on inpatient care due to Covid-19.
resultsA total of 11,955 people started sick leave for Covid-19 within the inclusion period. The median sick leave was 35 days, 13.3% were on sick leave for long Covid, and 9.0% remained on sick leave for the whole follow-up period. There were 2960 people who received inpatient care due to Covid-19, which was the strongest predictor of longer sick leave. Sick leave the year prior to Covid-19 and older age also predicted longer sick leave. No clear pattern of socioeconomic factors was noted.
conclusionsA substantial number of people are on sick leave due to Covid-19. Sick leave may be protracted, and sick leave for long Covid is quite common. The severity of Covid-19 (needing inpatient care), prior sick leave, and age all seem to predict the likelihood of longer sick leave. However, no socioeconomic factor could clearly predict longer sick leave, indicating the complexity of this condition. The group needing long sick leave after Covid-19 seems to be heterogeneous, indicating a knowledge gap.
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