Glucocorticoid treatment during COVID-19 infection: does it affect the incidence of long COVID?

Background Long COVID (LC) is a frequent complication of COVID infection. It usually results in cognitive impairment, myalgia, headache and fatigue. No effective treatment has been found yet. We aimed to explore the effect of glucocorticoid (GC) treatment during COVID-19 infection on the later development of LC. Methods We examined electronic health records from Clalit Health Services for documentation of COVID-19, GC treatment, and LC frequency. Background diagnoses, demographic data, hospitalization rates, and the use of anti-COVID drugs were recorded. Results 1,322,599 cases of COVID-19 infection met the inclusion criteria; 13,530 patients (1.02%) received GC treatment. 149,272 patients, 11.29% of COVID-19 patients were diagnosed with LC. Age and female gender were prognostic risk factors for LC (OR 1.06 for age, OR 1.4 for female gender; p value