Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36560604›Full record

ReviewViruses2022

A Comprehensive Report of German Nationwide Inpatient Data on the Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Including Annual Direct Healthcare Costs.

Nike Walter, Markus Rupp, Siegmund Lang, Beate Leinberger, Volker Alt, Thilo Hinterberger, Thomas Loew

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Viruses, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Health economic outcomes and national economic impacts associated with Long COVID in England and Scotland.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Cardiovascular Symposium on Perspectives in Long COVID.Clinical and applied thrombosis/hemostasis : official journal of the International Academy of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Nike WalterDepartment for Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0654-2076
Markus RuppDepartment for Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7221-3783
Siegmund LangDepartment for Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0459-9092
Beate LeinbergerDepartment for Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Volker AltDepartment for Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Thilo HinterbergerDepartment for Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Thomas LoewDepartment for Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
University Hospital Regensburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive overview of German nationwide data including (i) the number of hospitalized Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS) cases including in-hospital mortality rates and intensive care unit treatments, (ii) the main common concomitant diagnoses associated with PCS, (iii) the most frequently performed treatment procedures, and (iv) the annual direct healthcare costs.

methodsThe incidence was calculated based on annual ICD-10 diagnosis codes "U09.9!, Post-COVID-19 condition". Data on concomitant diagnoses, treatment procedures, treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU), in-hospital mortality, the proportion of G-DRGs, and cumulative costs were assessed based on the Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System (InEK) data for 2019.

resultsA total of 29,808 PCS inpatients could be identified yielding a prevalence of 5.5%. In total, 1330 (4.5%) in-hospital deaths were recorded, and 5140 (17.2%) patients required ICU treatment. The majority of patients (18.6%) were aged 65-74 years. The most common concomitant diagnoses included pneumonia, critical illness polyneuropathy, dyspnea, chronic fatigue syndrome, and pulmonary embolisms. The most frequently performed procedures were computed tomography of the thorax with contrast medium, whole-body plethysmography, and the monitoring of respiration, heart, and circulation. The cost per case of the G-DRG codes that were analyzed ranged from € 620 ± 377 (E64D, Respiratory insufficiency, one day of occupancy) to € 113,801 ± 27,939 (A06B, Ventilation > 1799 h with complex OR procedure). Total cumulative direct healthcare costs of € 136,608,719 were calculated, resulting in mean costs of € 4583 per case.

conclusionPost-COVID Syndrome is of major public health importance with substantial financial implications. The present article can support stakeholders in health care systems to foresee future needs and adapt their resource management. Consensus diagnostic criteria and rehabilitation guidelines are highly warranted.

Indexed as

COVID-19Post-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeDiagnosis-Related GroupsGermanyHealth Care CostsHumansInpatientsepidemiologyhealthcare costsPost-COVID syndrometreatment procedures

Identifiers

PMID36560604
PMCPMC9781151
OpenAlexW4309722923

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.