Not only is the prevalence of the condition poorly understood, but it’s also often ignored by physicians and the wider public.

Much of the world’s research on long COVID is conducted in wealthy regions, and data on the prevalence or severity of the condition in other locales are more limited. Evidence so far suggests that the prevalence of long COVID in LMICs could be similar to that of wealthier countries — although, in both settings, the numbers vary a lot. One review¹ found that between 8% and 41% of people who had a SARS-CoV-2 infection but weren’t hospitalized had symptoms. But a dearth of research on the condition in less-wealthy countries creates a double curse. An absence of information about prevalence and risk factors leaves advocates hamstrung: few physicians acknowledge that long COVID exists. The lack of data also hampers efforts to search for the mechanisms of the condition and tailor treatments.

Links:
Long COVID is a double curse in low-income nations — here’s why