US researchers identified 133,366 individuals aged 65 or older in 2020 who were diagnosed with COVID-19 before April 1, 2020 using health insurance plan records to address this issue.
These individuals were matched to three (non-COVID-19) comparison groups from 2020, 2019, and a group diagnosed with viral lower respiratory tract illness.
The researchers recorded any persistent or recurrent conditions 21 days after the diagnosis of COVID-19 (post-acute period) and calculated the highest risk for COVID-19-induced conditions at age, race, and gender, over several months and patients were hospitalized for COVID-19.
Of those diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020, 32% sought medical help in the post-acute period after one or more new or persistent conditions, which is 11% higher than in the 2020 comparison group.
In comparison with the 2020 comparison group, COVID-19 patients were at increased risk of developing a range of conditions including respiratory failure (an extra 7.55 per 100 people), fatigue (an extra 5.66 per 100 people), high blood pressure (an extra 4.43 per 100 people), and mental health diagnoses (an extra 2.5 per 100 people).
Similar results were found for the 2019 comparison group.
However, compared with the group with viral lower respiratory tract illness, only respiratory failure, dementia, and fatigue showed increased risk differences of 2.39, 0.71, and 0.18, respectively, per 100 people with COVID-19.
Individuals admitted to hospital with covid-19 had a markedly increased risk for most but not all conditions. The risk of several conditions was also increased for men, for those of black race, and for those aged 75 and older.
This is an observational study, so the cause cannot be established, and researchers agree on some limitations, as some diagnoses do not actually represent a new condition triggered by COVID-19 infection.
However, the researchers warn that with more than 357 million people infected with COVID-19 worldwide, “the number of survivors with sequelae after the acute infection will continue to grow.”
“These findings further highlight the wide range of important sequelae after acute infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” they write. “Understanding the magnitude of risk for the most important clinical sequelae might enhance their diagnosis and the management of individuals with sequelae after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
“Also, our results can help providers and other key stakeholders anticipate the scale of future health complications and improve planning for the use of healthcare resources,” they conclude.
Source: Medindia
