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Vol. 62 No. 1 (2026)
DOI: 10.4415/ANN_26_01_08
Original Articles
2026-03-13
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Indirect impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health and wellbeing: a narrative review

Authors

Teresa Valero-Gaspar , Cesar Garriga , Brigid Unim , Rodrigo Feteira-Santos , Luigi Palmieri , Asunción Díaz , Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez , Maria João Forjaz

Abstract

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on global health, notably affecting patients with non-COVID-19 conditions, who faced substantial disruptions in their treatment and care. The aim of this narrative review was to identify the main
indicators used in literature to evaluate the indirect impact of COVID-19 on health and well-being.
Method. A literature search was conducted using PubMed from January 2021 to November 2022. The indicators were categorized into five main groups: burden of disease (BoD), life expectancy (LE), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), cost of illness and mental health status and were retrieved from 20 scientific articles.
Results. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) revealed substantial health losses; a decrease in LE was observed, with inequalities across population subgroups; HRQoL showed impairments in physical functioning, daily activities and emotional well-being; productivity losses were economically relevant and varied by context and elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression were reported.
Discussion. The compiled indicators may contribute to the development of sustainable pandemic mitigation policies.

Keywords: COVID-19, Life expectancy, quality of life, mental health, illness cost

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Authors

Teresa Valero-Gaspar - Research Group “Food Behaviour, Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Health (CoNuSaGa)”, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8461-2359

Cesar Garriga - National Centre for Epidemiology and CIBERESP, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7073-3611

Brigid Unim - Dipartimento Malattie Cardiovascolari, Endocrino-Metaboliche e Invecchiamento, Istituto Superiore di Sanità

Rodrigo Feteira-Santos - Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5780-2288

Luigi Palmieri - Dipartimento Malattie Cardiovascolari, Endocrino-Metaboliche e Invecchiamento, Istituto Superiore di Sanità https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4298-2642

Asunción Díaz - National Centre for Epidemiology and CIBERINFEC, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8309-4270

Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez - National Centre for Epidemiology and CIBERNED, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3829-0675

Maria João Forjaz - National Centre for Epidemiology and RICAPPS, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3935-962X

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright

Copyright (c) 2026 Istituto Superiore di Sanità

How to Cite
Valero-Gaspar, T., Garriga, C., Unim, B., Feteira-Santos, R., Palmieri, L., Díaz, A., Rodríguez-Blázquez, C., & Forjaz, M. J. (2026). Indirect impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health and wellbeing: a narrative review. Annali dell’Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, 62(1), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.4415/ANN_26_01_08
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