Impact of Long COVID-19 on the Health and Quality of Life of Military Personnel (Active or Retired) and Their Families

Severe and sometimes irreversible sequelae are observed in people who have developed a severe form of COVID-19 (pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, neurological sequelae among others). More than 10% of individuals who contracted the disease, even in a mild form, still have at least one of the initial symptoms at six months, also known as prolonged symptoms or long COVID syndrome. The most frequently observed symptoms are asthenia, neurological disorders (headache, anosmia, ageusia, etc.), cardio-thoracic disorders, pain, digestive or skin disorders. Very recently, the first results of a British prospective cohort study (PHOSPCovid) indicate that more than half of the COVID-19 survivors who were hospitalised experienced a very severe to moderate deterioration in their mental and/or physical health five months after hospitalisation. Women are particularly affected. Another American study shows that 85% of non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients developed at least 4 neurological symptoms impacting their quality of life. The most common are: "brain fog" (81%), headaches (68%), numbness or tingling (60%), taste impairment (59%) and loss of smell (55%).

These disabling symptoms may persist for weeks or months, deteriorating the quality of life of patients and making it difficult for some to return to a normal life. On the basis of current knowledge concerning the long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, it seems necessary to offer these subjects a specific care pathway and to adapt their living and working conditions beyond their medical care.

The present study is aimed at measuring the impact of long COVID on the health and quality of life of the defence community (military personnel and their families).