Almost 30% of recovered COVID-19 patients develop complications within 5 months, over 12% die

Many recovered COVID-19 patients develop heart problems, diabetes and chronic liver and kidney conditions within 140 days, and some end up dying from these complications, according to a study.

By: Longjam Dineshwori | | Updated: January 20, 2021 9:59 am

Researchers were surprised to find that many patients were readmitted with a new diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.

If you have recently recovered or recovering from COVID-19 infection, don’t let your guard down yet. According to a UK study, many recovered COVID-19 patients in the country were readmitted to the hospital within five months and some died of complications from the illness. Also Read - ‘Follow rules or else we will follow you’: Mumbai police tweets amid COVID-19 surge

The study was conducted by researchers at the UK’s Leicester University and the Office for National Statistics. It included 47,780 COVID-19 patients who were discharged from the hospital after recovering from the disease. The mean age of the patients was 65 years. Out of these participants, 29.4 percent were readmitted to the hospital within 140 days (five months) and up to 12.3 percent died of complications from the illness, said the study reported by a UK daily. Also Read - COVID-19 negative report mandatory for passengers traveling to these states: Check it out

Respiratory disease was diagnosed in 14,140 of the recovered patients, even in those who had no history of respiratory conditions. Many patients who suffer long-term effects of Covid-19 developed heart problems, diabetes and chronic liver and kidney conditions, according to the report. Also Read - New highly contagious COVID-19 variant spreading rapidly across New York

Study author Kamlesh Khunti said that many COVID-19 patients are coming back to hospital due to long-term effects of the disease and ended up dying. Khunti, a professor of primary care diabetes and vascular medicine at Leicester University, stressed the need to prepare for long COVID and follow up with discharged patients, but he acknowledges that it’s a mammoth task.

As per the study results, COVID-19 survivors were nearly 3½ times more likely to be readmitted, and die, in 5 months than other outpatients.

Many recovered COVID-19 patients readmitted with new diagnoses of diabetes

Leicester University researchers were surprised to find that many people were readmitted with a new diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. They are, however, not sure if it’s because the virus destroyed the beta cells which make insulin or whether it causes insulin resistance, that leads to development of Type 1 diabetes. Nevertheless, they noted the importance of placing these patients on protective therapies, including statins and aspirin.

Doctors around the world have been observing newly found diabetes among COVID-19 recovered patients and trying to understand this phenomenon. In October 2020, doctors at the post-COVID follow up clinic at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai had reported new diagnosis of diabetes in COVID-19 survivors who returned to the hospital.

A senior in-charge of the follow-up clinic told a leading newspaper that while most patients readmitted with poor health conditions were aged above 45, the newly found diabetes post-recovery were seen in people aged between 40-45 who didn’t have the disease before. The newly found diabetes were diagnosed weeks or even a month after their recovery from COVID-19.

The doctor also didn’t know the reason for people developing diabetes post-COVID recovery, but he added that sugar checks are made mandatory as part of COVID checks in the hospital.

According to the hospital, most patients returned with poor health conditions such as breathing issues and myalgia (muscle pain) after two weeks. Therefore, the hospital is keeping check of the Covid patients’ health condition daily for 14 days after discharge, the doctors told the newspaper.

Some studies have also found cardiac problems and liver problems in Covid survivors.

Published : January 19, 2021 2:19 pm | Updated:January 20, 2021 9:59 am

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