Long COVID tied to lower likelihood of employment

Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) is associated with a greater likelihood of unemployment and lower likelihood of working full time, according to a study published online Feb. 15 in JAMA Network Open.

Roy H. Perlis, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues compared the prevalence of unemployment among individuals who did or did not develop PCC after acute infection. The analysis included responses from 15,308 participants (aged 18 to 69 years) in eight waves of a 50-state U.S. internet-based survey with test-confirmed COVID-19 at least two months prior.

The researchers found that 14.6 percent of respondents reported PCC symptoms, and of these individuals, 45.9 percent reported either brain fog or impaired memory. Unemployment was higher in individuals reporting PCC (12.3 percent) versus those without PCC (8.7 percent). Similarly, fewer respondents with PCC reported working full time (45.5 percent) versus those without PCC (55.2 percent). When excluding retired respondents, the presence of PCC was associated with a lower likelihood of working full time (adjusted odds ratio, 0.84) and with a higher likelihood of being unemployed (adjusted odds ratio, 1.23). Reporting any cognitive symptom was associated with a lower likelihood of working full time (adjusted odds ratio, 0.75).

"These results underscore the importance of developing strategies to treat and manage PCC symptoms," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

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