Understanding of Long (Post)-COVID Definitions Across Europe
Raquel Gomez Bravo, Sandra Leon Herrera, Sara Ares Blanco, Marina Guisado Clavero, Marina Dotsenko, Ferdinando Petrazzuoli, Ileana Gefaell, Sarah Moreels, Abel Perjes, Tatjana Meister, Davorina Petek, Philip Domeyer, Snezana Knezevic, Jako S. Burgers, Heidrun Lingner, Kadri Suija, Maria Bakola, Dragan Gjorgjievski, Naldy Parodi, Iliana-Carmen Busneag, Limor Adler, Nagu Penakacherla, Katarzyna Nessler, Thomas Frese, Achim Mortsiefer, Ana Luisa Neves, Bruno Heleno, Kathryn Hoffmann, Maria Pilar Astier-Peña
Keywords: Long COVID (LC); Post Covid Syndrome PCC; Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC); Europe
Background:
Standardizing the definition of Long COVID or post-COVID across Europe is imperative for ensuring consistent diagnosis, effective research, streamlined clinical management, targeted public health responses, enhanced patient support, international collaboration, and informed policy development. By harmonizing terminology and criteria for Long COVID, healthcare systems can improve patient care, facilitate research comparability, and optimize public health interventions in addressing the complexities of this persistent post-acute COVID-19 condition.
Currently, various definitions for Long COVID or post-COVID are in use across Europe, reflecting the diversity and complexity of approaches to characterize this persistent condition.
Research questions:
What terminology is used in each European country to describe the persistence of symptoms following the acute phase of COVID-19?
Method:
Descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study involving key informants from 31 European countries that took part in the Eurodata study.
Results:
Various countries align differently with international definitions. NICE criteria resonate with Portugal, Austria, Belgium, and Romania, while WHO framework applies in Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Romania, Israel, and Luxembourg. Slovenia adopts the USA NIH guidelines, and Greece uses ESCMID standards. ECDC criteria are prevalent in Germany and Hungary, whereas ICD classifications are employed in Serbia and Austria.
Conclusions:
The variation in definitions underscores the need for standardized protocols to streamline management and ensure effective communication within healthcare sectors. Divergent definitions of long COVID by European health organizations emphasize the urgency of uniform criteria to optimize management strategies and facilitate effective communication among healthcare professionals and patients. Discussions on the implications of diverse definitions on clinical practices and public health initiatives, challenges in diagnosis and management, and the significance of collaborative efforts in establishing unified guidelines are imperative in addressing the complexities of long COVID treatment and care.
Points for discussion:
Implications of disparate definitions on clinical practice and public health responses.
Challenges in diagnosing and managing long COVID amidst evolving understanding of post-acute sequelae.
Importance of collaborative efforts to establish unified guidelines for long COVID classification and management.
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