ABSTRACT
Aim: The prevalence rate of post COVID-19 condition (PCC) is an estimated 12.7% in the general population. Nocebo effects have been suggested as a cause for PCC, potentially resulting in stigmatizing attitudes towards people with PCC. As it is pivotal to explore whether nocebo effects contribute to PCC, we studied whether the frequency of media attention towards PCC-related symptoms corresponded with prevalence rates of these symptoms in the general population. Method(s): Prevalence rates and typology of PCC-related symptoms in the general population, adjusted for prevalence rates of symptoms in a non-infected control population, were calculated by using data from the Lifelines COVID-19 Cohort (N = 76,422). Media attention towards PCC was assessed by coding 1266 Dutch PCC-related news articles (inter-rater-kappa >= 0.75). In these, we assessed whether 23 symptoms were mentioned as being PCC-related. Result(s): PCC-related symptoms were mentioned in 390 (30.8%) news articles. Five of the ten core symptoms of PCC were mentioned by 10 or fewer news articles. Ageusia/anosmia was the most prevalent PCC-related symptom, in 7.2% of participants. However, it was mentioned in only 80 (6.3%) articles. General tiredness and breathing difficulties were most frequently mentioned as being PCC-related (in 23.9% and 17.1% of articles, respectively), while these were far from the most prevalent PCC-related symptoms reported by participants (2.8% and 1.9%, respectively). Conclusion(s): If PCC was predominantly attributable to nocebo effects, its symptom profile would be expected to reflect levels of media attention for PCC. Our findings do not support media attention-related nocebo effects as predominant cause of PCC development.Copyright © 2023