Sex and occupational differences in long COVID prevalence among healthcare workers: a multicentre registry-based study in three Spanish hospitals

Sex and occupational differences in long COVID prevalence among healthcare workers: a multicentre registry-based study in three Spanish hospitals | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Sex and occupational differences in long COVID prevalence among healthcare workers: a multicentre registry-based study in three Spanish hospitals Pia Delano, Fernando G. Benavides, Consol Serra, Jose Maria Ramada, and 11 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9141435/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Aims To estimate the prevalence of clinically diagnosed long COVID and examine associated occupational and demographic factors among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Spain using registry data of three hospitals. Methods A multicentre study was conducted between 2020 and 2023 in three Spanish hospitals (Madrid, n=1; Barcelona, n=2). Long COVID prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated overall and by sex, age group, and occupational category. Associations between long COVID and occupational category were assessed using Poisson regression models with robust variance, stratified by sex and adjusted for age and hospital. Results Registry data included 8,439 HCWs. Long COVID prevalence ranged from 3.0% to 5.0% and increased with age, with an adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) increase of 3-9% per year. Occupational differences were more pronounced among men. In University Hospital Ramon y Cajal, male nurses (PR 2.56; 95% CI 1.13–5.81) and other HCWs (PR 3.67; 95% CI 1.12–12.08) had higher prevalence compared with physicians. In Hospital Parc Tauli, male nurse assistants (PR 20.33; 95% CI 3.64–113.42) and support staff (PR 8.30; 95% CI 1.46–47.19) showed markedly elevated prevalence, although confidence intervals were wide. Among women, occupational associations were weaker and less consistent. Overall sex differences were modest, but sex modified the association between occupational role and long COVID prevalence. Conclusions Long COVID affected 3-5% of Spanish HCWs. Occupational role, particularly among men, was associated with long COVID prevalence, highlighting the need for occupational health surveillance and follow-up strategies that account for sex-specific patterns and differences in job roles. COVID-19 occupational health post-covid healthcare system Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Supplementarymaterial.docx STROBEchecklist.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 22 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 20 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 19 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 19 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 16 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9141435","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":616998286,"identity":"cb1d955e-f147-446d-9837-eae5c54ed611","order_by":0,"name":"Pia Delano","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZiDmYbAAsQ4wMNgA6QPEaZEAkmwJDAxpxGhhgGvhMSBOizk78wOGNxUS8ubsPd+kCxIY5PhuJODXYtnMZsA454yE4c6es9ukZyQwGEsS0mJwmMGAmbdNgnHDjdxt0rw/GBI3ENbC/oGZ95+E/YYbOc+keRIY6onQwgO0pUECaHgOG0hLggFhv/AUHJxzTCJ5w5ljxtYzEiQMZ555gF+LOf/xjQ/e1NjYbjje/PB2QYKNPN9xQg5jQIoIYLRK4FcO0wIHzITVj4JRMApGwUgEAFx/QWuJV4X4AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Pompeu Fabra University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pia","middleName":"","lastName":"Delano","suffix":""},{"id":616998287,"identity":"e8653a50-9bcb-4a80-b350-5808b6e53357","order_by":1,"name":"Fernando G. 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Long COVID prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated overall and by sex, age group, and occupational category. Associations between long COVID and occupational category were assessed using Poisson regression models with robust variance, stratified by sex and adjusted for age and hospital.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegistry data included 8,439 HCWs. Long COVID prevalence ranged from 3.0% to 5.0% and increased with age, with an adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) increase of 3-9% per year. Occupational differences were more pronounced among men. In University Hospital Ramon y Cajal, male nurses (PR 2.56; 95% CI 1.13–5.81) and other HCWs (PR 3.67; 95% CI 1.12–12.08) had higher prevalence compared with physicians. 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