Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38243748›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of public health2024

Examining potential Long COVID effects through utilization of healthcare resources: a retrospective, population-based, matched cohort study comparing individuals with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Luigi Castriotta, Graziano Onder, Valentina Rosolen, Yvonne Beorchia, Caterina Fanizza, Benedetta Bellini, Marco Floridia, Marina Giuliano, Andrea Silenzi, Flavia Pricci and 9 more

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed
7.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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

22 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  5. Cognitive impairment in long-COVID: frequency, trajectories and risk factors in a cohort study from Italy.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
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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

19 authors at 8 institutions in 1 country.

Luigi CastriottaInstitute of Hygiene and Evaluative Epidemiology, Friuli Centrale University Health Authority, Udine, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-8775-2640
Graziano OnderIstituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
Valentina RosolenCentral Directorate for Health, Social Policies and Disability, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Trieste, Italy.
Yvonne BeorchiaInstitute of Hygiene and Evaluative Epidemiology, Friuli Centrale University Health Authority, Udine, Italy.
Caterina FanizzaAgenzia Regionale Strategica per la Salute e il Sociale, Regione Puglia, Bari, Italy.
Benedetta BelliniAgenzia Regionale di Sanità, Regione Toscana, Firenze, Italy.
Marco FloridiaIstituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
Marina GiulianoIstituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
Andrea SilenziItalian Ministry of Health, Rome, Italy.
Flavia PricciIstituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
Tiziana GrisettiIstituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
Tiziana GrassiIstituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
Dorina TipleIstituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
Marika VillaIstituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
Francesco ProfiliAgenzia Regionale di Sanità, Regione Toscana, Firenze, Italy.
Paolo FrancesconiAgenzia Regionale di Sanità, Regione Toscana, Firenze, Italy.
Fabio BarboneCentral Directorate for Health, Social Policies and Disability, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Trieste, Italy.
Lucia BiscegliaAgenzia Regionale Strategica per la Salute e il Sociale, Regione Puglia, Bari, Italy.
Silvio BrusaferroIstituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy.
Istituto Superiore di Sanità · ITAgenzia Regionale di Sanità della Toscana · ITRegione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia · ITRegione Puglia · ITItalian Medicines Agency · ITMinistero della Salute · ITUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore · ITUniversity of Trieste · IT

Funding

Italian Ministry of HealthNational Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA significant proportion of individuals reports persistent clinical manifestations following SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) acute infection. Nevertheless, knowledge of the burden of this condition-often referred to as 'Long COVID'-on the health care system remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate healthcare utilization potentially related to Long COVID.

methodsPopulation-based, retrospective, multi-center cohort study that analyzed hospital admissions and utilization of outpatient visits and diagnostic tests between adults aged 40 years and older recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred between February 2020 and December 2021 and matched unexposed individuals during a 6-month observation period. Healthcare utilization was analyzed by considering the setting of care for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection [non-hospitalized, hospitalized and intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted] as a proxy for the severity of acute infection and epidemic phases characterized by different SARS-CoV-2 variants. Data were retrieved from regional health administrative databases of three Italian Regions.

resultsThe final cohort consisted of 307 994 previously SARS-CoV-2 infected matched with 307 994 uninfected individuals. Among exposed individuals, 92.2% were not hospitalized during the acute infection, 7.3% were hospitalized in a non-ICU ward and 0.5% were admitted to ICU. Individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 (vs. unexposed), especially those hospitalized or admitted to ICU, reported higher utilization of outpatient visits (range of pooled Incidence Rate Ratios across phases; non-hospitalized: 1.11-1.33, hospitalized: 1.93-2.19, ICU-admitted: 3.01-3.40), diagnostic tests (non-hospitalized: 1.35-1.84, hospitalized: 2.86-3.43, ICU-admitted: 4.72-7.03) and hospitalizations (non-hospitalized: 1.00-1.52, hospitalized: 1.87-2.36, ICU-admitted: 4.69-5.38).

conclusionsThis study found that SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with increased use of health care in the 6 months following infection, and association was mainly driven by acute infection severity.

Indexed as

COVID-19HospitalizationPatient Acceptance of Health CareSARS-CoV-2AdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHealth ResourcesHumansIntensive Care UnitsItalyMaleMiddle AgedPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID38243748
PMCPMC11161167
OpenAlexW4391051799

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.