ArticleBMC health services research2023
Long COVID: Costs for the German economy and health care and pension system.
Article in BMC health services research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of vaccination on prevention of long COVID.Nature communications · 2025Pooled it
- Productivity Losses due to Health Problems Arising from COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review of Population-Level Studies Worldwide.Applied health economics and health policy · 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
- Economic and health consequence frames affect COVID-19 vaccine incentive attitudes in Germany- a survey based framing experiment.BMC public health · 2025Trial
- Prior SGLT2 Inhibitor and Metformin Use and Risk of Long COVID in Type 2 Diabetes: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.Infectious diseases and therapy · 2026Article
- Post-COVID: a specific neuropsychological profile in performance deficits.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Article
- Four year mortality and quality of life after ICU treatment for COVID 19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- REGENECYTE cord blood cell therapy in post-COVID syndrome: a phase IIa randomized, placebo-controlled trial.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- Redefining pandemic resilience: a roadmap for post-infectious syndrome preparedness and health system transformation.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- German nationwide inpatient data on the post-COVID-19 syndrome: an update.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Post-Covid-19 symptoms, subjective work ability and sick leave 2 years after acute infection-results from a population-based long COVID study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Biological Plausibility Between Long-COVID and Periodontal Disease Development or Progression.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Post-COVID-19 condition patients' utilisation of healthcare resources after implementation of an integrated care unit.Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E · 2025Article
- A comparison of allied healthcare versus no allied healthcare on participation, fatigue, physical functioning and health-related quality of life for patients with persistent complaints after a COVID-19 infection.Annals of medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Longer Health Resort Therapy Improves Outcomes in Long COVID: A Retrospective Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Predicting work ability impairment in post COVID-19 patients: a machine learning model based on clinical parameters.Infection · 2025Article
- Multimodal Web-Based Telerehabilitation for Patients With Post-COVID-19 Condition: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Patient Perspectives on the Care in a Long COVID Outpatient Clinic-A Regional Qualitative Analysis from Germany.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Lingering symptoms in non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19 - a prospective survey study of symptom expression and effects on mental health in Germany.BMC primary care · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPatients with acute COVID-19 can develop persistent symptoms (long/post COVID-19 syndrome). This study aimed to project the economic, health care, and pension costs due to long/post-COVID-19 syndrome with new onset in Germany in 2021.
methodsUsing secondary data, economic costs were calculated based on wage rates and the loss of gross value-added. Pension payments were determined based on the incidence, duration, and amount of disability pensions. Health care expenditure was calculated based on rehabilitation expenses.
resultsThe analysis estimated a production loss of 3.4 billion euros. The gross value-added loss was calculated to be 5.7 billion euros. The estimated financial burden on the health care and pension systems due to SARS-CoV-2 infection was approximately 1.7 billion euros. Approximately 0.4 percent of employees are projected to be wholly or partially withdrawn from the labor market in the medium term due to long/post-COVID with new onset in 2021.
conclusionCosts of long/post-COVID-19 syndrome with new onset in 2021 are not negligible for the German economy and health care and pension systems but may still be manageable.
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Registered trials
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.