Health-related quality of life among patients with long COVID according to the presence of a diagnosis of functional somatic disorder 2026 Gourard+

[Andy]

Abstract​

Background​

Long COVID is associated with poor health-related quality of life (QoL), with substantial interindividual variations. This study aimed to investigate the association between QoL and a diagnosis of functional somatic disorder (FSD) among patients seeking care for long COVID.

Methods​

Data were drawn from the CASPer-COVID program, a multidisciplinary tertiary care program for patients with persistent symptoms following COVID-19. QoL was evaluated with the 36-Item Short-Form health survey (SF-36), yielding a Physical Component Summary (PCS) and a Mental Component Summary (MCS). Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to investigate the associations between PCS or MCS scores and a diagnosis of FSD, adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, comorbidities, hospitalization for acute COVID-19, core persistent symptoms, symptom duration, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and physical activity.

Results​

The analyses included 773 patients (median age [interquartile range (IQR)]: 44 [36−55] years; 64% women). QoL was markedly impaired (median PCS [IQR]: 44 [31−60]; median MCS [IQR]: 39 [31−49]). A diagnosis of FSD (76.5% of patients) was not associated with MCS (β [95% CI]: 1.11 [−1.30, 3.53]) or PCS (β [95% CI]: −1.60 [−3.88, 0.67]) scores in adjusted analyses. Lower PCS and MCS scores were associated with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms, lower physical activity levels, and pain. In addition, lower PCS scores were associated with female gender, hospitalization for acute COVID-19 and longer symptom duration.

Conclusion​

In patients seeking care for long COVID in a tertiary care setting, QoL did not differ significantly between those diagnosed with FSD and other patients.

Open access

 

[rvallee]

The main result of our study is that health-related QoL of patients did not differ significantly between patients with long COVID who were diagnosed with FSD by an experienced multidisciplinary team and other patients with long COVID.

In patients with long COVID attending a tertiary care structure, we found no statistically significant association between a diagnosis of FSD and health-related quality of life at the time of assessment. These findings do not support the assumption that patients diagnosed with FSD have better quality of life than other patients with long COVID.

Assumptions. Assertions. Same difference. Reading a bit further, pretty much every single one of their traditional assumptions are not met. Funny how that works, making stuff up is just not the same thing as doing research.

They seem to show momentary bouts of self-awareness:

Because the SSD-12 captures symptom-related perceived impairment, its association with health-related QoL may reflect substantial conceptual overlap between predictor and outcome.

But can't make sense of it or reason through the implications, and just return to form in making almost identical speculative assertions to excuse it.

For example, decreased physical activity could reflect avoidant behavior towards physical activity (as a frequent characteristic of FSD), and could therefore contribute to poor QoL, or could be a consequence of physical impairment.

Golly gee, that's a tough one. Do the physical impairments lead to less physical activity? Or is it some other weird hallucination that has no explanation and doesn't even make sense? Such a deep mystery. Let's ask a magical fire-breathing dragon while we're at it.

Depressive symptoms could also, at least in part, reflect the intensity of psychological distress associated with FSD, thereby capturing a similar dimension.

Ask overlapping questions, get overlapping answers. I won't insult the intelligence of the authors by pretending they are genuinely confused about this.

Won't stop them asserting the bizarre nonsense about diagnosis being a therapeutic event that helps people recover. Which was always super weird, because a wrong diagnosis obviously can't bring what a real diagnosis does, since the reason a diagnosis is helpful in this way is when it leads to treatment options, which is what improves quality of life, and barring that can bring real support. Done this way, it's like putting food in the microwave without actually running. It might fool a dog, but that's about it.

I genuinely cannot grasp being this bad at my job. At any job. Incompetence of this level is just offensive and gross.

 

[Sean]

Let's ask a magical fire-breathing dragon while we're at it.

Nah, that is just silly. All the hip modern researchers know to consult an Instagram influencer.