Open Forum Infectious Diseases · 10 authors, 19 centres
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This population-based study of Dutch adults compared the prevalence of long-term symptoms after a COVID-19 test using six different case definitions. It found that prevalence estimates in positively tested individuals varied widely depending on the definition used, and that a substantial proportion of symptoms are also reported in negatively tested individuals.
Prevalence in positive individuals varied from 26.9% to 64.1% across definitions, while in negative individuals it ranged from 11.4% to 32.5%. After accounting for symptoms in negatives, the prevalence potentially attributable to COVID-19 was estimated at 17.9% to 26.3%. The findings demonstrate that prevalence estimates are highly sensitive to the chosen case definition and highlight the importance of including negative controls to estimate background symptom rates.
