COVID-19 Recovery? ... 60% Increased Risk of Post-Recovery Death Within 6 Months

US Washington Medical School 'Nature' Paper
87,000 US Veterans Diagnosed, Analysis of Long-Term COVID-19 Effects
Impact on Almost All Body Organs

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] It has been revealed that patients who contracted COVID-19, received treatment, and recovered also suffer from very serious aftereffects. Patients who suffered from COVID-19 for more than 30 days and then recovered had about a 60% higher risk of death within six months (from the time of diagnosis) due to diseases or symptoms caused by COVID-19 compared to the general population.

Scientists at the University of Washington School of Medicine in the United States published a related paper online on the 22nd (local time) in the journal Nature. This study analyzed medical records of about 87,000 COVID-19 patients and 5 million control subjects using the database of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Jiyad Al-Ali, assistant professor and lead author of the paper, emphasized, "Even mild COVID-19 patients (within six months) have a significant risk of death, but the risk increases as the severity rises," adding, "It is not an exaggeration to say that long COVID will cause the next health crisis."

The study found that patients who suffered from COVID-19 for more than 30 days and then recovered had about a 60% higher risk of death within six months due to diseases or symptoms caused by COVID-19 compared to the general population. The 'excess deaths' rate six months after diagnosis was estimated at 8 per 1,000 recovered COVID-19 patients overall, and 29 per 1,000 among those who were severely ill enough to be hospitalized. In other words, those who were severely ill had a higher risk of health deterioration than those who had mild illness.

The research team extracted 73,435 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 but did not receive hospitalization and 13,654 patients who were hospitalized from the VHA database. By gender, 88% of the confirmed cases were male, and the remaining 12% (8,880 people) were female. The control group consisted of VHA-registered patients with no record of COVID-19 diagnosis or hospitalization.

To confirm the long-term effects of severe COVID-19, the research team compared hospitalized COVID-19 patients with influenza patients (13,997 people). They also evaluated specific associations among 379 disease diagnoses related to COVID-19, 380 types of prescribed medications, and 62 laboratory test results.

By synthesizing these data, they compiled a list of all diseases and symptoms that could be caused by COVID-19. Initially, COVID-19 starts as a respiratory viral infection. However, in the long term, it was found to affect almost all human organs. The research team categorized specific diseases and symptoms into 11 categories, including the respiratory system, nervous system, and mental health, as detailed in the paper.

Many subjects exhibited multiple diseases and symptoms that significantly impacted their health and quality of life. Notably, the risk of death within six months for recovered patients who had severe COVID-19 was 50% higher than that of recovered patients from severe influenza.

Professor Al-Ali said, "Symptoms like shortness of breath or cough may improve over time, but some symptoms worsen," adding, "We plan to continue follow-up studies to confirm the effects beyond six months after infection, which we could not examine this time."