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COVID-19

Session: Poster Session A

(104) Healthcare Utilization Among People Living With Long COVID 2.5 Years After Acute COVID-19

Monday, August 26, 2024
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM CEST
Location: Convention Hall II

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Naveed Zafar Janjua, MBBS, DrPH

    Director, Research
    British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

    • Co-Author(s)

  • LA

    Leila Amiri

    University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

  • BK

    Braeden Klaver

    British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

  • MB

    Mawuena Binka

    University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

  • GC

    Georgine Cua

    British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

  • HV

    Hector A. Velasquez-Garcia

    British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

  • AW

    Alyson Wong

    University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

  • HN

    Hiten Naik

    University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

  • Zaeema Naveed, PhD

    Postdoctoral Research Fellow
    University of British Columbia, Canada

  • JW

    James Wilton

    British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, Canada, Canada

  • AL

    Adeera Levin

    University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

  • BS

    Beate Sander

    University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, Canada

  • HS

    Hind Sbihi

    British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Canada

Background: Understanding the long-term impact of Long COVID on healthcare utilization is important for healthcare planning. However, information on Long COVID-associated healthcare utilization beyond the first year post-acute COVID-19 illness is limited.

Objectives: We measured healthcare utilization rates among COVID-19 survivors, with and without Long COVID, over 2.5 years after acute COVID-19 illness.

Methods: We used data from the BC COVID-19 Cohort and applied a difference-in-difference approach to daily number of daily healthcare encounters (medical visits, emergency department visits, or hospitalizations) from adults with a COVID-19 index date on/before December 31, 2022 followed until July 28, 2023 in British Columbia, Canada. Long COVID patients were matched 1:2 on age, sex, health region, comorbidities, and COVID-19 index date ±14 days. We used weighted multivariable Poisson regression models to estimate the adjusted ratio of rate ratios (aRRR) for long COVID-associated healthcare utilization.

Results: The matched cohort included 37,998 individuals with 12,666 people with Long COVID. 62% of the cohort was female with mean age of 40.0 (SD: 11.9) years. Healthcare utilization increased two-fold for the Long COVID group (175.5 vs. 80.4 encounters per 1000 patients) but not for the No Long COVID group (66.2 vs. 82.8) during the 26 weeks post-acute COVID-19 illness relative to baseline. Healthcare utilization rates for the Long COVID group declined to 144.5 encounters per 1000 patients 12-18 months and to 122.5 per 1000 patients at 25-30 months. In multivariable Poisson regression models, healthcare utilization increased by 63% in the first 26 weeks post-acute illness (aRRR: 1.63, 95% CI 1.51- 1.76), by 62% 12-18 months (aRRR: 1.62, 95% CI 1.50-1.75), and 34% at 25-30 months (aRRR: 1.34, 95% CI 1.24-1.45).

Conclusions: This large population-based study observed an increase in healthcare utilization rates among people living with Long COVID during first year after acute COVID-19, followed by a decline in the second year and further reduction in the third year but not returning to pre-COVID-19 levels. These results highlight the continued needs for long-term support for people living with Long COVID.