Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39537389›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2024

Trajectories of functional limitations, health-related quality of life and societal costs in individuals with long COVID: a population-based longitudinal cohort study.

Jiunn Wang, Henry Goodfellow, Sarah Walker, Ann Blandford, Paul Pfeffer, John R Hurst, David Sunkersing, Katherine Bradbury, Chris Robson, William Henley and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2024. 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
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. MTHFR allele and one-carbon metabolic profile predict severity of COVID-19.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
  11. Article
  12. 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

11 authors.

Jiunn WangDepartment of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
Henry GoodfellowRoyal Free Hospital, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0979-2839
Sarah WalkerUniversity of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4201-1093
Ann BlandfordDepartment of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3198-7122
Paul PfefferBarts and Royal Free London NHS Trust, London, UK.
John R HurstRespiratory Medicine, University College London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7246-6040
David SunkersingInstitute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, UK.
Katherine BradburyInstitute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Chris RobsonLiving With Health, London, UK.
William HenleyHealth Statistics Group, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6273-2619
Manuel GomesDepartment of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, UK m.gomes@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1428-1232

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo examine trajectories of functional limitations, fatigue, health-related quality of life (HRQL) and societal costs of patients referred to long COVID clinics.

designA population-based longitudinal cohort study using real-time user data.

setting35 specialised long COVID clinics in the UK.

participants4087 adults diagnosed with long COVID in primary or secondary care deemed suitable for rehabilitation and registered in the Living With Covid Recovery (LWCR) programme between 4 August 2020 and 5 August 2022.

main outcome measuresGeneralised linear mixed models were fitted to estimate trajectories of functional limitations, using the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS); scores of ≥20 indicate moderately severe limitations. Other outcomes included fatigue using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) reversed score (scores of ≥22 indicate impairment), HRQL using the EQ-5D-5L, and long COVID-related societal costs, encompassing healthcare costs and productivity losses.

resultsThe mean WSAS score at 6 months after registration in the LWCR was 19.1 (95% CI 18.6, 19.6), with 46% of the participants (95% CI 40.3%, 52.4%) reporting a WSAS score above 20 (moderately severe or worse impairment). The mean change in the WSAS score over the 6-month period was -0.86 (95% CI -1.32, -0.41). The mean reversed FACIT-F score at 6 months was 29.1 (95% CI 22.7, 35.5) compared with 32.0 (95% CI 31.7, 32.3) at baseline. The mean EQ-5D-5L score remained relatively constant between baseline (0.63, 95% CI 0.62, 0.64) and 6 months (0.64, 95% CI 0.59, 0.69). The monthly societal cost per patient related to long COVID at 6 months was £931, mostly driven by the costs associated with working days lost.

conclusionsIndividuals referred to long COVID clinics in the UK reported small improvements in functional limitations, fatigue, HRQL and ability to work within 6 months of registering in the LWCR programme.

Indexed as

COVID-19FatigueQuality of LifeAdultAgedCost of IllnessFemaleHealth Care CostsHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeSARS-CoV-2United KingdomCOVID-19FatigueHealth Care CostsObservational StudyPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID39537389
PMCPMC11574431

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.