FamilyCoviDD19: results of a cross-sectional study-long-term outcomes of infected and uninfected household members

Objective: In this study, we aimed to compare long-term physical and mental health outcome between SARS-CoV-2 infected and uninfected household members to differentiate between infection-related and pandemic-related outcomes after about two and a half years of the pandemic. Furthermore, possible differences in the outcome of adults and children and young people (CYP) were of interest.

Design: In a cross-sectional study design, we compared the long-term physical and mental health outcome of between infected and uninfected as well as between adult and CYP (household members).

Setting: The FamilyCoviDD19 study-a serology study in households-was initially conducted to evaluate virus transmission in a close contact setting focusing on households with children and adolescents in Germany. At least 1 year after initial infection in the respective households, a follow-up took place in which the prevalence and type of possible long-term consequences were surveyed on the basis of self-reported information on physical and mental health.

Participant: In this study, a total of 533 household members of 146 families participated and responded to our survey, including 296 (55.5%) adults and 237 (44.5%) CYP.

Result: The difference in frequency of reported symptoms between infected and uninfected individuals was very moderate, suggesting that the vast majority of reported symptoms were not attributable to a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, regardless of age and infection status, this study showed overall high rates of self-reported symptoms with CYP having fewer long-term sequelae than adults one year after infection. Furthermore, over 50% of those reporting symptoms were not affected in their daily life, with CYPs reporting an even lower percentage compared with adults.

Conclusion: CYP are at reduced risk not only to develop symptomatic infection or severe disease courses (previous analyses) but also to develop infection-associated long-term sequelae (this study). Independent of infection CYP reported high rates of neurocognitive, pain, somatic and mood symptoms, which makes the influence of the pandemic itself-including pandemic control measures-decisive.