Exploring the impact of long covid and support received in comparison with other chronic conditions using GP patient survey data (England) 2023

Background: the prevalence of Long Covid (LC) using the 2023 GP Patient Survey (England) is 4.8%. This has important implications for population wellbeing and wider society. However, people with LC report difficulty accessing treatment and support. Using data from this national survey, we aimed to explore the impact LC has on day-to-day activities, and the support people report receiving to manage their condition. This was compared with people with two other chronic conditions: diabetes and mental health conditions (MHC), which have more established care pathways.

Methods: multivariable logistic regression modelling of 2023 Survey data (759,149 patients aged 16 yrs+ GP-registered in England) compared the impact and support experience of people with only LC, diabetes or MHC. Models were adjusted for age, sex, sexual orientation, parental/guardian status, carer status, work status, ethnicity, area of residence deprivation, religion and smoking status.

Results: compared to people with diabetes only, people with LC were more likely to report that their condition reduced ability to carry out day-to-day activities (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 5.13, 95%CI 4.73–5.56) and were less likely to express confidence to manage issues arising from their condition (AOR 0.57, 95%CI 0.50–0.65). People with LC were less likely than those with diabetes to have discussed what is important to them when managing their condition (AOR 0.14, 95%CI 0.13–0.15) and to have agreed a management plan (AOR 0.36, 95%CI 0.31–0.42) with a primary healthcare professional.

There was no difference between people with LC and people with MHC in terms of ability to carry out day-to-day activities. However, people with LC were more likely to be confident to manage issues arising from their condition compared to people with MHC (AOR 1.68, 95%CI 1.53–1.85), but less likely to have had a conversation about managing their condition (AOR 0.27, 95%CI 0.25–0.30) or to have agreed a management plan (AOR 0.63, 95%CI 0.55–0.73).

Conclusion: the daily lives of people with LC are more impacted than people with a condition with more established healthcare pathways such as diabetes, but there is a comparable impact with experiencing MHC. Confidence to manage conditions is condition-specific, but people with LC are less likely to report having support from primary healthcare professionals than people with diabetes or MHC. These findings suggest support received by people with LC tends to be inadequate and not comparable with other conditions despite the high prevalence and the limitations LC can place on people’s lives.

10.1136/jech-2025-SSMabstracts.144

0143-005X

Woodrow, Mirembe

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Ziauddeen, Nida

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Smith, Dianna

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Alwan, Nisreen A.

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24 August 2025