Prevalence of Post-COVID-19 Condition in Adults 8.4 Percent in 2023

THURSDAY, Dec. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) was 8.4 percent among U.S. adults in 2023, according to a research letter published online Dec. 13 in JAMA Network Open.

Anjel Vahratian, Ph.D., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues described the prevalence of PCC (ever and current) and self-reported limitations of activity due to symptoms of PCC using data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey adult interview.

Among 29,522 respondents in 2023, 8.4, 3.6, and 2.3 percent reported that they had ever had PCC, currently had PCC, and currently had activity-limiting PCC, respectively. The researchers found that across all three outcomes, there were significant differences by sex, sexual orientation, age, race and Hispanic origin, family income, and urbanization. With increasing family income, there was a decrease in the percentage of adults who ever had PCC, currently had PCC, and currently had activity-limiting PCC. With increasing rurality of place of residence, the prevalence of these three outcomes increased. Overall, 64.5 percent of adults who currently had PCC experienced symptoms that were activity-limiting.

“This work supports the Department of Health and Human Services efforts to assess the overall disease burden of PCC across the U.S. population,” the authors write.

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