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. 2023 Jul 12;13(1):11300.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38315-2.

Post COVID-19 symptoms are common, also among young adults in the general population

Ida Mogensen #  1   2 , Sandra Ekström #  3   4   5 , Jenny Hallberg  6   7 , Antonios Georgelis  2   6 , Erik Melén  1   6   7 , Anna Bergström  2   6 , Inger Kull  1   7
Affiliations

Post COVID-19 symptoms are common, also among young adults in the general population

Ida Mogensen et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Post coronavirus disease-19 (post COVID-19) is mainly studied in clinical populations and less is known about post COVID-19 in a young general population. The aim of the study is to investigate the prevalence and symptoms of post COVID-19 and its potential risk factors in young adults. Participants from the Swedish population-based birth cohort BAMSE were included (n = 2022, mean age 26.5 years). Post COVID-19 was assessed through a questionnaire and defined as symptoms after confirmed COVID-19 (registry-based or self-reported positive test) lasting for ≥ 2 months. In total, 681 participants had had confirmed COVID-19. Among them, 112 (16.5%) fulfilled the definition of post COVID-19 (17.8% in females, 14.5% in males, p = 0.26). The most common post COVID-19 symptoms were altered smell and taste (68.8%), dyspnea (33.7%) and fatigue (30.4%). Overall, no major risk factors for post COVID-19 were identified except for being bedbound during COVID-19. However, asthma and rhinitis were associated with the post COVID-19 symptom dyspnea, migraine with altered smell and taste, and lower self-rated health with fatigue. In conclusion, post COVID-19 symptoms are common, also among young adults in the general population. Although not life-threatening, it could have a considerable impact on public health due to the high prevalence and long-term symptoms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of specific long-term symptoms among participants with confirmed COVID-19 and post COVID-19. Black part of the bars represents the participants with symptoms for at least two but less than three months, and the grey part represents the participants with symptoms for three months or more. The upper X-axis designates percent of participants with post COVID-19 (n = 112), the lower percent of participants with confirmed COVID-19 (n = 681).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percent of participants being bedbound during the COVID-19 disease in relation to post COVID-19. The figure shows the groups with and without post-COVID-19, and the groups with the three most prevalent specific symptoms of post COVID-19 (altered smell or taste, dyspnea, and fatigue). All groups are compared to the group with no post COVID-19, as three categories (not being bedbound, bedbound 1–6 days and bedbound ≥ 1 week). Significant differences are displayed in the figure.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalence of lifestyle factors, chronic diseases, and other characteristics before the pandemic in relation to post COVID-19. The figure shows the groups with and without post-COVID-19, and the groups with the three most prevalent specific symptoms of post COVID-19 (altered smell or taste, dyspnea, and fatigue). All groups are compared to the group with no post COVID-19. All exposures are assessed at the 24-year follow-up in 2016–2019.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Flow chart of the included study population.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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