A fifth of patients in some areas of the North of England have Long Covid, according to a study which includes university of Manchester researchers.
Manchester University
Extracts
Analysis of General Practice Patient Survey data from 2022 found the North West had the highest number of people reporting Long Covid symptoms (5.5%) followed by the North East and Yorkshire (5.1%).
In some northern GP practices as many as one in five patients (20%) reported having Long Covid.
The link between deprivation and higher rates of Long Covid is also explored in the report. Nationally, the prevalence rate in the most deprived areas (6.3%) is almost double that in the least deprived (3.3%).
Within region inequalities are also evident in the North East and Yorkshire, where rates in the most deprived areas (8.3%) were 5.2% percentage points higher than in the least deprived areas (3.1%).
The report, a collaboration between Health Equity North, Newcastle University, University of Manchester, Insights North East, Public Health South Tees and Healthworks, explores the impact of Long Covid on the health, wellbeing and employment prospects of adults living in northern England.
The findings have prompted calls for more research into Long Covid and for Government to undertake a consultation with Long Covid patients to better understand the condition and to implement care plans to facilitate rehabilitation and management of the condition.
“Long Covid is a complex condition that goes beyond physical and mental symptoms, affecting other parts of people’s lives including their sense of self and professional identity. This can then lead to experiences of social isolation.”
Dr Stephanie Scott, lead author of the report and Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Newcastle University
Further findings from the report
- In England, 1.9 million people were experiencing a myriad of self-reported Long Covid symptoms as of March 2023, with 79% saying it has had a negative impact on their day-to-day activities.
- Fatigue was named as the most experienced symptom, and over half reported reduced functionality in their everyday activities, which resulted in their inability to return to work.
- The 10 GP practices with the highest prevalence of Long Covid were all in the North.
- While many employers in the North provide support for Covid-19, this is specified on an acute basis, rather than in response to later Long Covid/post Covid illnesses.
- Only three out of 10 northern employers contacted offered a specific rehabilitation package to employees living with Long Covid despite the high prevalence in the region.
- There is considerable evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in Long Covid in the North East and Yorkshire, where rates in the most deprived groups (8.3%) were 5.2 percentage points higher than in the least deprived areas (3.1%).
- The most deprived areas in the North had higher Covid-19 mortality rates than equally deprived areas in the rest of England, indicative of ‘deprivation amplification’ where the negative health effects of local deprivation is worsened for those living in deprived regions.
The report recommendations
- Research funders should prioritise biomedical research into Long Covid to establish accurate diagnostic tests, understand the illnesses’ pathophysiological mechanisms and develop treatments.
- Research into the impact of known social determinants of health and their relationship with Long Covid should be undertaken.
- Learning from overlap with other post-viral conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (MF/CFS) should harnessed during Long Covid research and further funding into these conditions should be allocated to assist with treatment and future pandemic preparedness.
- The relationship between disability figures, sex and Long Covid should be the basis of further research.
- Priorities for government: Government should develop programmes for employers to support members of their workforce with Long Covid; A government consultation with Long Covid patients should be undertaken to better understand their condition and to implement care plans to facilitate rehabilitation and management of the condition.