Long COVID in Bangladesh: Developing Strategies for Identifying and Managing Post-COVID Syndrome in LMIC and Low Resource Health Systems

Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS), or 'long COVID', occurs when individuals experience lingering health complications or illnesses long after the infection is over. PCS is a relatively new health issue, with cases currently identified using definitions that consider the signs and symptoms typically reported by COVID-19-recovered individuals. Current research on PCS, including PCS definitions, has come from high-income countries (HICs). However, due to differences in socioeconomic conditions and disease profiles, what we know about PCS in HICs is not fully applicable to low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This research will study and understand PCS in a LMIC: Bangladesh. We will identify the long-term symptoms and health complications in COVID-19-recovered patients in Bangladesh, and study how other health conditions and socioeconomic factors such as occupation affect whether PCS occurs and how long it lasts. We will examine health as well as economic impacts such as livelihood disruption in individuals who have PCS. Our study will include all COVID-19-tested (COVID-19 positive and negative) individuals in a sub-district of Bangladesh, identified through a globally recognized demographic and health surveillance system. For these individuals, we will identify those with symptoms of PCS and establish a disease profile of the study population. We will then follow all individuals, both with and without PCS, to understand how PCS complications change over time and whether people without PCS later develop it. Advanced statistical techniques will be used to estimate how common PCS is, and determine how PCS appears (e.g., common symptoms), how severe it is, and how long it lasts for individuals who have it. The results will help with the early management of PCS in LMICs and reduce long term impact of the pandemic. It will establish Canadian research partnerships for improved global health emergency response and build Canadian expertise in preparedness and response research.