Patterns of long COVID symptoms among healthcare workers in the UK & variations by sociodemographic, clinical & occupational factors…,2025, Al-Oraibi+

[SNT Gatchaman]

Patterns of long COVID symptoms among healthcare workers in the UK and variations by sociodemographic, clinical and occupational factors: a cross-sectional analysis of a nationwide study UK-REACH

Spoiler: Authors

Amani Al-Oraibi; Christopher A Martin; Katherine Woolf; Laura B Nellums; Carolyn Tarrant; Manish Pareek

OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to examine symptom patterns between healthcare workers (HCWs) with and without long COVID, identify the most common long COVID symptom groups and investigate how these symptom profiles vary across different ethnic groups, demographic characteristics, clinical factors and occupational roles in UK HCWS.

DESIGN
We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity and COVID-19 outcomes in Healthcare workers (UK-REACH) cohort study. Data were collected electronically between October 2021 and October 2022.

SETTING
United Kingdom.

PARTICIPANTS
Individuals aged 16 years or older, residing in the UK, working as HCWs or ancillary workers in a healthcare setting and/or registered with one of seven major UK healthcare professional regulators.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Long COVID was defined as symptoms persisting for ⩾12 weeks following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our primary outcome was the presence or absence of particular groups of long COVID symptoms. We collapsed 28 symptoms into seven groups: cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, neurocognitive/neurologic, upper respiratory tract, psychological/social and systemic.

RESULTS
Among 4033 HCWs with a history of COVID-19, those with long COVID (26.5%; 1067/4033) reported a higher prevalence of systemic, neurological and psychological symptoms compared with those without long COVID. Among those with long COVID, the most commonly reported symptom groups were neurocognitive/neurologic (63.4%), cardiopulmonary (40.0%) – highest among Asian HCWs at 45.6% – and systemic (54.6%), which particularly affected Black and Mixed ethnicities at 64.0% and 63.9%, respectively. In multivariable analyses, Asian HCWs had higher odds of experiencing cardiopulmonary symptoms (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.62, 95% CI 1.04–2.51, p = 0.032), while female HCWs were more likely to experience gastrointestinal (aOR: 3.78, 95% CI 1.14–12.45, p = 0.029) and neurocognitive symptoms (aOR: 1.58, 95% CI 1.10–2.28, p = 0.014). Compared with those in medical roles, musculoskeletal symptoms were more commonly reported by those in nursing (aOR: 2.50, 95% CI 1.32-4.72, p = 0.005), allied health professional (aOR: 1.82, 95% CI 1.01–3.30, p = 0.048) and dental roles (aOR: 3.07, 95% CI 1.31–7.17, p = 0.010). Vaccination with two or three doses was protective against several symptom groups, including cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal and neurocognitive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings are the first to reveal distinct patterns in long COVID symptoms among HCWs with significant variations by ethnicity, sex and occupational role. These findings emphasise the need for targeted support strategies and workplace adjustments that consider both occupation-specific risks and individual sociodemographic factors.

Web | DOI | PDF | Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine | Open Access

 

[rvallee]

Aside from confirming what has been known for years and how interesting it is that categorization is along neurological and systemic symptoms, rather than the traditional mental health, I have no idea what they think is useful about, uh, this:

Asian HCWs had higher odds of experiencing cardiopulmonary symptoms

female HCWs were more likely to experience gastrointestinal (aOR: 3.78, 95% CI 1.14–12.45, p = 0.029) and neurocognitive symptoms

Compared with those in medical roles, musculoskeletal symptoms were more commonly reported by those in nursing (aOR: 2.50, 95% CI 1.32-4.72, p = 0.005), allied health professional (aOR: 1.82, 95% CI 1.01–3.30, p = 0.048) and dental roles (aOR: 3.07, 95% CI 1.31–7.17, p = 0.010).

Do they really think it's useful to pretend that nurses have a different illness, uh, profile? than dentists? Stratified by ethnicity? What is this even for? This seems like a silly goose chase to me.

These findings emphasise the need for targeted support strategies and workplace adjustments that consider both occupation-specific risks and individual sociodemographic factors.

Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine

Ah, well, nevertheless. Shame the RSM stood explicitly in opposition to doing anything about problems like this, early in the pandemic, by sheer coincidence, and clearly don't think much beyond... why do they think only in terms of workplace adjustment? Damn these people are so totally lost in the face of illness. They can handle disease but illness may as well be magic.

I don't think we'd be served any worse with witch doctors. Knowledge is wasted on derelict institutions.