The impact of Long COVID on Health-Related Quality-of-life using OpenPROMPT

Abstract

Background Long COVID is a major problem affecting patient health, the health service, and the workforce. To optimise the design of future interventions against COVID-19, and to better plan and allocate health resources, it is critical to quantify the health and economic burden of this novel condition. Methods With the approval of NHS England, we developed OpenPROMPT, a UK cohort study measuring the impact of long COVID on health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). OpenPROMPT invited responses to Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) using a smartphone application and recruited between November 2022 and October 2023. We used the validated EuroQol EQ-5D questionnaire with the UK Value Set to develop disutility scores (1-utility) for respondents with and without Long COVID using linear mixed models, and we calculated subsequent Quality-Adjusted Life-Months (QALMs) for long COVID. Results We used data from 6,070 participants where 24.7% self-reported long COVID. In multivariable regressions, long COVID had a consistent impact on HRQoL, showing a high probability of reporting loss in quality-of-life (OR: 22, 95% CI:12.35-39.29) compared with people who did not report long COVID. Reporting a disability was the largest predictor of losses of HRQoL (OR: 60.2, 95% CI: 27.79-130.57) across survey responses. Self-reported long COVID was associated with an 0.37 QALM loss. Conclusions We found substantial impacts on quality-of-life due to long COVID, representing a major burden on patients and the health service. We highlight the need for continued support and research for long COVID, as HRQoL scores compared unfavourably to patients with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, heart failure, and renal disease.