In just one year, Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) cost the German economy €63.1 billion (AU$111 billion), or about 1.5 per cent GDP, according to a new German-Australian study.
The study, carried out by international risk analytics company Risklayer and the German ME/CFS Research Foundation, analysed the prevalence and cost of the conditions since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
University of Adelaide Medical School Adjunct Associate Professor Amy McLennan and Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Resources Adjunct Professor James Daniell led the project.
The team found Long Covid cases in Germany peaked at 1.75 million in 2022, while ME/CFS cases have continued to rise, reaching 650,000 by the end of 2024.
"This is the first time we've applied this type of risk modelling approach to understanding the societal impact of chronic disease," says Adjunct Professor Daniell, also CEO of Risklayer.
"Our aim with this study was to inform policy and political decision-making on an issue where there is significant complexity and a lack of good-quality surveillance data.
"As Australian John Monash Scholars, we hope we can also bring this approach back to Australia and apply it to a range of issues."
The study explored the social, economic and medical costs of both Long Covid and ME/CFS impacts separately, as well as the sub-group of people who fit the diagnostic criteria for both.
"Long Covid implicates multiple body systems, from the heart, lungs and other organs to the immune, vascular and reproductive systems, and often includes symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, post-exertional malaise and muscle pain," says Adjunct Associate Professor McLennan.
"Long COVID has also brought renewed attention to the chronic condition ME/CFS, which shares many overlapping symptoms and may in some cases develop as a consequence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
"Although ME/CFS has been recognised for decades, the scale of this infection-associated chronic illness has expanded in the wake of the pandemic."
Both Long COVID and ME/CFS are associated with substantial disability, reduced quality of life, increased demand for medical care, and prolonged absence from work and social life.
"Young people are often no longer able to continue their education and family carers take on a large part of the care under great strain, while travelling long distances to seek diagnosis and treatment," says Adjunct Associate Professor McLennan.
"At a societal level, there are also considerable costs: for medical care, nursing care, loss of work, social benefits and lost tax revenue. Companies suffer productivity losses and purchasing power is lost."
Since the report's release in Berlin in May, the new German federal government has promised to improve funding and initiatives targeting Long COVID and ME/CFS.
