{
  "abstract": "Background: A substantial proportion of individuals experience persistent symptoms months or years after COVID-19 infection. Evidence on the population‑level burden of post‑COVID symptoms in Central Europe remains limited. This study aimed to estimate and compare the prevalence of persistent symptoms among individuals with prior COVID-19 infection and those never infected in Slovakia.\n\nMethods: In 2025, a nationally representative survey was conducted in Slovakia among 1,500 respondents with a self-reported history of COVID-19. In addition, 600 respondents who reported never having been infected were surveyed. Current symptoms were assessed using a questionnaire based on the WHO’s Post COVID case report form. Thirty-two symptoms were evaluated. Logistic regression models were applied using R to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.\n\nResults: Almost all assessed symptoms were more prevalent among respondents with previous COVID-19 infection compared to those without. The highest ORs were observed for facial pain or swelling (OR = 4.74; 95% CI: 2.38–9.44), fever (OR = 4.34; 95% CI: 2.38–7.91), inability to move or feel one side of the body or face (OR = 3.59; 95% CI: 1.85–6.95), pain on breathing (OR = 3.38; 95% CI: 1.99–5.73), reduced taste (OR = 3.24; 95% CI: 2.11–4.97), reduced smell (OR 2.74; 95% CI: 1.88–3.99), nausea/vomiting (OR = 2.49; 95% CI: 1.67–3.72), persistent dry cough (OR = 2.29; 95% CI: 1.62–3.25) and loss of appetite (OR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.44–3.23) (p < 0.05). The associations remained statistically significant after adjustment for sociodemographic factors.\n\nConclusions: Individuals with a history of COVID-19 infection in Slovakia experience a significantly higher burden of persistent symptoms compared to those never been infected. These findings highlight the long-term health impact of COVID-19 and the need for targeted post-COVID care and public health planning.\n\nKey messages: • People with prior COVID‑19 infection in Slovakia report a significantly higher prevalence of persistent symptoms than those never infected.\n\n• The findings underscore the long‑term population burden of post‑COVID conditions and the need for targeted health services and planning.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "abstract",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "D Plancikova"
    },
    {
      "name": "P Sivco"
    },
    {
      "name": "J Melichova"
    },
    {
      "name": "J Rapcanova"
    },
    {
      "name": "M Majdan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f9py0p7awck3x.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1150",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13698263/",
  "id": "f9py0p7awck3x",
  "issns": [
    "1101-1262",
    "1464-360X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1150",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "6. Poster Displays"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/MED00860"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SOC01210"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SOC02610"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "DB. Chronic diseases, multimorbidity and non-communicable diseases"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2728|Long-Term Effects of COVID-19"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223687724",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13698263/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13698263",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "Oxford University Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f9py0p7awck3x.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:10Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13698263",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1150"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:40Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13698263",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13698263"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2728|Long-Term Effects of COVID-19",
      "subfield": "neurology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Persisting symptoms after COVID-19 infection: a population-based study in Slovakia",
  "title_text": "Persisting symptoms after COVID-19 infection: a population-based study in Slovakia",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:35:09Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f9py0p7awck3x",
  "venue": "The European Journal of Public Health",
  "versions": []
}