Post-Pandemic Burden of Illness Among Patients in Germany Aged ≥60 Years with Acute or Persistent COVID-19

Background/Objectives: Post-pandemic, real-world evidence on COVID-19 in elderly patients in Germany is limited. This study describes the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, quality of life, and healthcare resource use among elderly patients with COVID-19. Methods: Data were derived from the Adelphi Real World COVID Disease-Specific Programme™, a cross-sectional survey of physicians and patients aged ≥60 years with acute (≤4 weeks post-diagnosis) or persistent (symptom duration ≥ 12 weeks) COVID-19 from January to July 2024. Analyses were descriptive; comparisons between groups were not performed. Results: 151 physicians provided data for 400 patients (acute COVID-19, n = 200; persistent COVID-19, n = 200). The mean patient age was 68.1 (acute) and 70.1 (persistent) years. Most patients were male (acute, 56.0%; persistent, 58.5%) and retired (acute, 68.0%; persistent, 78.5%). The most common concomitant condition was hypertension (acute, 37.5%; persistent, 35.5%). Tiredness/fatigue was the most common physician-reported symptom (57.5% acute; 67.5% persistent). For patients with acute COVID-19 that received prescribed treatment (n = 62/200, 31.0%), antivirals were most commonly used (n = 59/62, 95.2%). Mean number of consultations from the index COVID-19 diagnosis to survey date was 2.7 over a median of 17.0 days (Q1–Q3: 7.0–44.0) and 5.0 over a median of 164.0 days (Q1–Q3: 128.0–225.0) for patients with acute or persistent COVID-19, respectively. Self-reported data were provided by 98 (acute) and 107 (persistent) patients. The most common patient-reported worst symptoms were headaches (n = 15/98, 15.3%; acute) and tiredness (n = 14/107, 13.1%; persistent). Mean EQ-5D-5L index score (German weighting) was 0.79 for both groups. EQ-VAS scores were 66.1 (acute) and 66.0 (persistent). Conclusions: Elderly patients with acute or persistent COVID-19 have a notable burden of illness. Prioritizing care and interventions in these populations in the post-pandemic era is warranted.