OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic results in widespread health, economic, and social disruptions. It is therefore important to understand the multifaceted effects of COVID-19, including the humanistic burden and impact on mental conditions. This study aims to assess the humanistic burden and prevalence of mental conditions among COVID-19 patients in Asian countries.

METHODS: This study utilized the Internet-based National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS) conducted in Japan and China. We included respondents in surveys conducted after the COVID-19 outbreak: the 2021 Japan NHWS (n=30,015) and the 2020 China NHWS (n=20,051). COVID-19 patients were identified based on self-reported physician diagnosis. A subset of non-COVID respondents was selected using 1:4 propensity score matching. For each country, demographic characteristics, Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL), work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI), and prevalence of emotional and mental conditions were compared between COVID-19 patients and selected controls using bivariate analyses.

RESULTS: In both countries, COVID-19 patients had statistically significantly lower HRQoL and higher WPAI compared to selected controls on all measures we examined (P<0.01). A higher proportion of COVID-19 patients exhibited symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9] ≥10: Japan: 24.3% vs. 12.4%; China: 66.4% vs 18.2%) or anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7 [GAD-7] ≥10: Japan: 17.5% vs. 9.4%; China: 40.1% vs 8.2%)) in both countries. COVID-19 patients reported significantly higher total work productivity impairment compared to non-COVID respondents (Japan: 37.3% vs. 20.4%; China: 63.9% vs. 27.5%, p<0.001). Increased rates of emotional and mental conditions (e.g., bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia) were also observed in COVID-19 patients in both countries (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a substantial impact of COVID-19 on HRQoL, WPAI, and mental conditions in both Japan and China. COVID-19 patients experienced significantly worse HRQoL and WPAI, as well as an elevated rate of mental conditions than the non-COVID population.