Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39842842›Full record

ArticlePharmacoepidemiology and drug safety2025

Lessons Learned From Characterizing Long COVID Among US Medicare Beneficiaries.

Yun Lu, Arnstein Lindaas, Hector S Izurieta, Myrna Cozen, Mikhail Menis, Xiangyu Shi, Whitney R Steele, Michael Wernecke, Yoganand Chillarige, Jeffrey A Kelman and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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.

Yun LuCenter for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9332-6832
Arnstein LindaasAcumen LLC, Burlingame, California, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-2568-3509
Hector S IzurietaCenter for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1875-9790
Myrna CozenAcumen LLC, Burlingame, California, USA.
Mikhail MenisCenter for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
Xiangyu ShiAcumen LLC, Burlingame, California, USA.
Whitney R SteeleCenter for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7955-3115
Michael WerneckeAcumen LLC, Burlingame, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9553-3122
Yoganand ChillarigeAcumen LLC, Burlingame, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8020-6839
Jeffrey A KelmanCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Washington, DC, USA.
Richard A ForsheeCenter for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5805-2837

Funding

FDA HHS 02309-075-075-013007
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo characterize long-term effects of COVID-19 among older adults (aged ≥ 65 years).

methodsThis retrospective descriptive study utilized Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries' claims to characterize post-COVID condition diagnosis code usage, long COVID (defined as post-COVID condition diagnoses made ≥ 28 days after an initial COVID-19 diagnosis) incidence, patient demographics, and concurrent diagnoses.

resultsDuring April 1, 2020 to May 21, 2022, 193 691 (0.6%) of 31 847 927 Medicare beneficiaries were diagnosed with post-COVID conditions using ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes U09.9 and B94.8, regardless of prior COVID-19 diagnosis. Post-COVID condition diagnosis rate was higher among nursing home residents (18.7 per 1000 person-years) than community-dwelling beneficiaries (2.8). Among community-dwelling beneficiaries with a post-COVID condition diagnosis, 17.5% did not have any prior COVID-19 diagnosis code U07.1 recorded. Among beneficiaries with COVID-19 diagnosis, there were no significant sex, age, or race/ethnicity differences between those with post-COVID conditions ≥ 28 days after COVID-19 (i.e., long COVID) and those without post-COVID conditions. Certain myopathies and interstitial pulmonary disease codes were disproportionately present concurrently with long COVID compared to COVID-19.

conclusionsIn this large study of 32 million Medicare beneficiaries, we found approximately 194 000 post-COVID condition diagnoses. Post-COVID condition diagnosis rate was higher among nursing home residents, highlighting the substantial burden of COVID-19 in this vulnerable population. Community-dwelling beneficiaries were less likely to seek medical care for COVID-19 events than nursing home residents, which may suggest differences in COVID-19 severity and respiratory disease detection between these populations. Long COVID risk after COVID-19 infection may be similar across demographic groups.

Indexed as

COVID-19MedicareAgedAged, 80 and overFee-for-Service PlansFemaleHumansIncidenceIndependent LivingMaleNursing HomesRetrospective StudiesUnited Statesclaims datalong COVIDMedicare beneficiariespost‐COVID conditions

Identifiers

PMID39842842
PMCPMC11753895

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Registered trials

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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.