Risks remain for those hospitalised for COVID-19

People hospitalised with COVID-19 infection remain at an increased risk of death or re-hospitalisation, according to a UK study.

The study was carried out by Dr Krishnan Bhaskaran and colleagues at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.

They explored the long-term risks for people in this group with a statistical analysis of electronic health records from the database OpenSAFELY. Information on almost 25,000 COVID-19 patients was analysed, along with 100,000 comparable people.

Results were published yesterday in *PLoS Medicine*. Having been hospitalised was linked to twice the risk of readmission or death in the subsequent months, compared with the general population.

The researchers went on to look at the risks after hospitalisation for infectious diseases more widely. Compared with an analysis of 15,000 people hospitalised for influenza in 2017-19, COVID-19 patients were at a slightly lower combined risk of hospitalisation or death overall.

But the risk of death from any cause was higher after hospitalisation for COVID-19 than influenza.

Dr Bhaskaran said: “Our findings suggest that people who have had a severe case of COVID-19 requiring a hospital stay are at substantially elevated risk of experiencing further health problems in the months after their hospitalisation.

" It is important that patients and their doctors are aware of this so that any problems that develop can be treated as early as possible. Our findings also highlight the importance of getting vaccinated, which is the best tool we have for preventing severe COVID-19 in the first place.”

Bhaskaran. K. et al. Overall and cause-specific hospitalisation and death after COVID-19 hospitalisation in England: A cohort study using linked primary care, secondary care, and death registration data in the OpenSAFELY platform. *PLoS Medicine* 25 January 2022 doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003871

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