Prevalence of and factors associated with post-COVID-19 condition in the 12 months following the diagnosis of COVID-19 in adults followed in general practices in Germany

Background- Little is known about the epidemiology of post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) condition (PCC) in primary care practices. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of and the factors associated with PCC in the 12 months following the diagnosis of COVID-19 in patients followed in general practices in Germany. Methods- This retrospective cohort study included adults aged ≥18 years who were diagnosed for the first time with COVID-19 (index date) in one of 855 general practices in Germany between October 2020 and August 2021 (Disease Analyzer database; IQVIA). The outcome was the occurrence of PCC 91 to 365 days after the index date. Covariates included age, sex, and comorbidities documented in the 12 months prior to the index date. The association between covariates and PCC was assessed using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results- There were 51,630 patients included in this study (mean [SD] age 47.1 [19.8] years; 54.3% women). The prevalence of PCC was 8.3%. Age >30 years (ORs ranging from 1.40 for 31-45 years to 2.10 for 46-60 years) and female sex (OR = 1.23) were positively and significantly associated with PCC compared with age 18-30 years and male sex, respectively. There was also a significant relationship of PCC with asthma (OR = 1.38), reaction to severe stress, and adjustment disorders (OR = 1.24), and somatoform disorders (OR = 1.23). Conclusions- PCC was found in the 12 months following the diagnosis of COVID-19 in around 8% of adults from general practices in Germany. More data from other settings are warranted to confirm these findings