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CDC Science behind Long COVID
How CDC is using science to learn more about Long COVID
For the General Public: Long COVID (Post-COVID Conditions)
CDC is analyzing healthcare data, partnering with clinicians, and working with researchers to learn more about Long COVID.
Long COVID includes a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience 4 or more weeks after being infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
What CDC Is Doing to Learn about Long COVID
CDC and partners are working to learn more about Long COVID in a variety of populations and settings. These partnerships are essential for expanding the base of evidence needed for addressing Long COVID. CDC and its partners are working to:
- Characterize and assess Long COVID to estimate both the risk of experiencing Long COVID and the numbers of people experiencing these conditions by demographic group.
- Identify risk factors to better understand how to prevent Long COVID.
- Identify groups disproportionately affected by Long COVID.
- Assess the burden (health and financial costs) of Long COVID.
- Identify successful interventions to prevent and lessen the effect of Long COVID. This research includes:
- Assessing if COVID-19 vaccinations and treatment reduce the occurrence of Long COVID, and
- Promoting equity in healthcare access and utilization for people with Long COVID.
- Disseminate clinical guidance and other education materials for healthcare providers, patients, and the public to improve understanding of Long COVID.
MMWR COVID-19 ReportsCDC Scientific Publications on COVID-19
CDC and partners are collecting and analyzing information about Long COVID and health problems through several public health activities, including:
- Prospective cohort studies that observe people over time,
- Sentinel surveillance to collect information from select public health sources on cases of Long COVID,
- Medical chart abstraction to understand the health and medical care of patients with Long COVID,
- Analyses of electronic healthcare data and large patient databases,
- State and national health surveys, and
- Evaluation of models of care.
Inclusion of data and analyses of Long COVID by race/ethnicity, age, sex, and other factors are a CDC priority.
Related Research
Select examples of research on Long COVID conducted by CDC and partners
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) created the RECOVER Initiative, a research project that aims to understand how people recover from a SARS-CoV-2 infection and why some people do not fully recover and develop Long COVID or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). Anyone can participate in the RECOVER project, including those who have COVID-19 now, had COVID-19 before, or never had COVID-19. People of all races and ethnicities, genders, ages, and locations will be included in the research project to better understand how Long COVID affects people.
To learn more, including enrollment, visit the RECOVER web page.
Clinical Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Calls
The purpose of COCA continuing education opportunities is to increase clinicians’ knowledge of threats to the public’s health and provide information on clinical evaluation management strategies to address these threats. COCA continuing education is free. Learn about receiving continuing education (CE) credit for COCA calls.
- September 20, 2023: Evaluating and Supporting Patients Presenting with Cardiovascular Symptoms Following COVID
- June 15, 2023: Evaluating and Supporting Patients with Long COVID in Returning to Work
- February 23, 2023: Evaluating and Supporting Children and Adolescents Presenting with Post-COVID Conditions
- May 5, 2022: Evaluating and Supporting Patients Presenting with Cognitive Symptoms Following COVID
CDC Publications
CDC is publishing the results of studies aimed at better understanding Long COVID and how best to support people experiencing Long COVID symptoms and related health problems.
Select CDC publications on Post-COVID Conditions and related topics:
Prospective Cohort Studies
- O’Laughlin KN, Thompson M, Hota B, Gottlieb M, Plumb ID, Chang AM, Wisk LE, Hall AJ, Wang RC, Spatz ES, Stephens KA, Huebinger RM, McDonald SA, Venkatesh A, Gentile N, Slovis BH, Hill M, Saydah S, Idris AH, Rodriguez R, Krumholz HM, Elmore JG, Weinstein RA, Nichol G; INSPIRE Investigators. Study protocol for the Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-COV-2 Infections Registry (INSPIRE): A longitudinal study of the medium and long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. PLoS One. 2022 Mar 3;17(3).
- Han JH, Womack KN, Tenforde MW, Files DC, Gibbs KW, Shapiro NI, Prekker ME, Erickson HL, Steingrub JS, Qadir N, Khan A, Hough CL, Johnson NJ, Ely EW, Rice TW, Casey JD, Lindsell CJ, Gong MN, Srinivasan V, Lewis NM, Patel MM, Self WH; Influenza and Other Viruses in the Acutely Ill (IVY) Network. Associations between persistent symptoms after mild COVID-19 and long-term health status, quality of life, and psychological distress. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2022 Mar 28.
- Michael Gottlieb, Erica S Spatz, Huihui Yu, Lauren E Wisk, Joann G Elmore, Nicole L Gentile, Mandy Hill, Ryan M Huebinger, Ahamed H Idris, Efrat R Kean, Katherine Koo, Shu-Xia Li, Samuel McDonald, Juan Carlos C Montoy, Graham Nichol, Kelli N O’Laughlin, Ian D Plumb, Kristin L Rising, Michelle Santangelo, Sharon Saydah, Ralph C Wang, Arjun Venkatesh, Kari A Stephens, Robert A Weinstein, INSPIRE Group. Long COVID Clinical Phenotypes up to 6 Months After Infection Identified by Latent Class Analysis of Self-Reported Symptoms
- Michael Gottlieb, Ralph C Wang, Huihui Yu, Erica S Spatz, Juan Carlos C Montoy, Robert M Rodriguez, Anna Marie Chang, Joann G Elmore, Paavali A Hannikainen, Mandy Hill, Ryan M Huebinger, Ahamed H Idris, Zhenqiu Lin, Katherine Koo, Samuel McDonald, Kelli N O’Laughlin, Ian D Plumb, Michelle Santangelo, Sharon Saydah, Michael Willis, Lauren E Wisk, Arjun Venkatesh, Kari A Stephens, Robert A Weinstein, for the Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry (INSPIRE) Group. Severe Fatigue and Persistent Symptoms at 3 Months Following Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infections During the Pre-Delta, Delta, and Omicron Time Periods: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study
- Erica S Spatz, Michael Gottlieb, Lauren E Wisk, Jill Anderson, Anna Marie Chang, Nicole L Gentile, Mandy J Hill, Ryan M Huebinger, Ahamed H Idris, Jeremiah Kinsman, Katherine Koo, Shu-Xia Li, Samuel McDonald, Ian D Plumb, Robert M Rodriguez, Sharon Saydah, Benjamin Slovis, Kari A Stephens, Elizabeth R Unger, Ralph C Wang, Huihui Yu, Bala Hota, Joann G Elmore, Robert A Weinstein, Arjun Venkatesh. Three-Month Symptom Profiles Among Symptomatic Adults With Positive and Negative Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Tests: A Prospective Cohort Study From the INSPIRE Group
- Lauren E. Wisk, PhD1,2; Michael A. Gottlieb, MD3; Erica S. Spatz, MD, MHS4,5; et al. Association of Initial SARS-CoV-2 Test Positivity With Patient-Reported Well-being 3 Months After a Symptomatic Illness
Analysis of Electronic Healthcare Data
- Hernandez-Romieu AC, Leung S, Mbanya A, Jackson BR, Cope JR, Bushman D, Dixon M, Brown J, McLeod T, Saydah S, Datta D, Koplan K, Lobelo F. Health Care Utilization and Clinical Characteristics of Nonhospitalized Adults in an Integrated Health Care System 28-180 Days After COVID-19 Diagnosis – Georgia, May 2020-March 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Apr 30;70(17):644-650.
- Hernandez-Romieu AC, Carton TW, Saydah S, Azziz-Baumgartner E, Boehmer TK, Garret NY, Bailey LC, Cowell LG, Draper C, Mayer KH, Nagavedu K, Puro JE, Rasmussen SA, Trick WE, Wanga V, Chevinsky JR, Jackson BR, Goodman AB, Cope JR, Gundlapalli AV, Block JP. Prevalence of Select New Symptoms and Conditions Among Persons Aged Younger Than 20 Years and 20 Years or Older at 31 to 150 Days After Testing Positive or Negative for SARS-CoV-2. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Feb 1;5(2).
- Barrett CE, Koyama AK, Alvarez P, Chow W, Lundeen EA, Perrine CG, Pavkov ME, Rolka DB, Wiltz JL, Bull-Otterson L, Gray S, Boehmer TK, Gundlapalli AV, Siegel DA, Kompaniyets L, Goodman AB, Mahon BE, Tauxe RV, Remley K, Saydah S. Risk for Newly Diagnosed Diabetes >30 Days After SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Persons Aged <18 Years – United States, March 1, 2020-June 28, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2022 Jan 14;71(2):59-65.
- Chevinsky JR, Tao G, Lavery AM, Kukielka EA, Click ES, Malec D, Kompaniyets L, Bruce BB, Yusuf H, Goodman AB, Dixon MG, Nakao JH, Datta SD, MacKenzie WR, Kadri SS, Saydah S, Giovanni JE, Gundlapalli AV. Late Conditions Diagnosed 1-4 Months Following an Initial Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Encounter: A Matched-Cohort Study Using Inpatient and Outpatient Administrative Data-United States, 1 March-30 June 2020. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jul 15;73(Suppl 1):S5-S16.
- Lyudmyla Kompaniyets, PhD; Lara Bull-Otterson, PhD; Tegan K. Boehmer, PhD; Sarah Baca; Pablo Alvarez, MPH; Kai Hong, PhD; Joy Hsu, MD; Aaron M. Harris, MD; Adi V. Gundlapalli, MD, PhD; Sharon Saydah, PhD. CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR), Aug. 5, 2022. Post–COVID-19 Symptoms and Conditions Among Children and Adolescents — United States, March 1, 2020–January 31, 2022
- Lara Bull-Otterson, PhD; Sarah Baca; Sharon Saydah, PhD; Tegan K. Boehmer, PhD; Stacey Adjei, MPH; Simone Gray, PhD; Aaron M. Harris, MD. CDC MMWR, May 27, 2022. Post–COVID Conditions Among Adult COVID-19 Survivors Aged 18–64 and ≥65 Years — United States, March 2020–November 2021
Health Surveys
- Wanga V, Chevinsky JR, Dimitrov LV, Gerdes ME, Whitfield GP, Bonacci RA, Nji MAM, Hernandez-Romieu AC, Rogers-Brown JS, McLeod T, Rushmore J, Lutfy C, Bushman D, Koumans E, Saydah S, Goodman AB, Coleman King SM, Jackson BR, Cope JR. Long-Term Symptoms Among Adults Tested for SARS-CoV-2 – United States, January 2020-April 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Sep 10;70(36):1235-1241.
- Nicole D. Ford, PhD; Douglas Slaughter, MPH; Deja Edwards, MPH; Alexandra Dalton, PhD; Cria Perrine, PhD; Anjel Vahratian, PhD; Sharon Saydah, PhD. CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR), Aug. 11, 2023. Long COVID and Significant Activity Limitation Among Adults, by Age — United States, June 1–13, 2022, to June 7–19, 2023
Electronic Medical Chart Abstraction
- Rogers-Brown JS, Wanga V, Okoro C, Brozowsky D, Evans A, Hopwood D, Cope JR, Jackson BR, Bushman D, Hernandez-Romieu AC, Bonacci RA, McLeod T, Chevinsky JR, Goodman AB, Dixon MG, Lutfy C, Rushmore J, Koumans E, Morris SB, Thompson W. Outcomes Among Patients Referred to Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinics After COVID-19 diagnosis – United States, January 2020-March 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Jul 9;70(27):967-971. Erratum in: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Aug 20;70(33):1126. PMID: 34237048; PMCID: PMC8312758.
Commentary
- Saydah SH, Brooks JT, Jackson BR. Surveillance for Post-COVID Conditions Is Necessary: Addressing the Challenges with Multiple Approaches. J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Feb 15:1–3.
- Datta SD, Talwar A, Lee JT. A Proposed Framework and Timeline of the Spectrum of Disease Due to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Illness Beyond Acute Infection and Public Health Implications. JAMA. 2020 Dec 8;324(22):2251-2252.