Understanding the True Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Immunocompromised
Six in 10 respondents to Health Union’s Spondyloarthritis In America 2021 survey said they feel other people in their lives don’t understand the risks of being immunocompromised. And they aren’t alone.
Scientists estimate nearly 3% of people in the U.S. can be considered immunocompromised,
meaning their immune system and their ability to fight infections and other diseases is weakened. In addition to opening these individuals up to various debilitating and deathly illnesses, it can also make managing existing chronic and complex conditions, as well as maintaining a positive quality of life, exceedingly difficult.
The COVID-19 pandemic of the past two-plus years has magnified, modified and often discombobulated many of these dynamics, leaving many people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed confused, frustrated and often searching for information, connection and support.
Findings across Health Union’s large-scale, condition-specific In America surveys – conducted regularly for all of its online health communities – as well as perspectives from patient leaders engaging with these communities, can help to spotlight the complex nature of being immunocompromised, as well as the myriad ways the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated their health journeys.
