Got Infected With COVID? One In Three People Might Suffer From A New Condition Post Recovery

A new study has found that one-in-three adults develop new conditions including heart, kidneys, lung and liver conditions after getting infected with COVID disease.

The third year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and the world continues to reel against the disease. Ever since it was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, scientists have been studying the virus and its many mutations. But one thing that scientists have been claiming since the beginning of the epidemic is that people who have an underlying disease are more vulnerable to coronavirus. But now a group of researchers are claiming that COVID can lead to other health problems as well.

COVID-19 Can Lead To Severe Complications

According to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal, about a third (32 out of 100) of older persons infected with Covid in 2020 acquired at least one new ailment that necessitated medical attention in the months following their initial infection, 11 times more than those who did not have COVID-19.

The heart, kidneys, lungs, and liver were among the major organs and systems affected. People were also found to be suffering from mental health problems.

Although studies on the incidence and severity of new illnesses (sequelae) following COVID-19 infection have begun to emerge, few have highlighted the increased risk of new conditions in older persons (aged at least 65). To address this, researchers in the United States analysed health insurance plan information to identify 133,366 people aged 65 and up in 2020 who were diagnosed with COVID-19 before April 1, 2020. Three (non-covid) comparison groups from 2020, 2019, and a group diagnosed with viral lower respiratory tract infection were matched to these people.

The researchers then tracked any new or persistent conditions for the first 21 days after a COVID-19 diagnosis (the post-acute period) and calculated the risk for COVID-19-related conditions over several months based on age, race, sex, and whether patients were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19.

1 In 3 People Develop New Medical Conditions Post COVID Infection

COVID-19 patients had an increased risk of 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 disorders when compared to the 2020 comparison group (an extra 2.5 per 100 people). The 2019 comparison group yielded similar results.

Only respiratory failure, dementia, and exhaustion exhibited elevated risk differences of 2.39, 0.71, and 0.18 per 100 patients with COVID-19, respectively, when compared to the group with viral lower respiratory tract disease.

Individuals with COVID-19 who were hospitalised had a significantly higher risk of most, but not all, diseases. Men, people of colour, and those aged 75 and up were also at a higher risk of developing a variety of diseases. Since this was an observational study, the cause could not be determined, and the researchers noted certain limitations, including the possibility that some diagnoses may not accurately represent a new illness caused by COVID-19 infection.

They did caution, however, that with over 357 million people worldwide infected with coronavirus, the number of survivors with sequela following the acute infection will continue to climb.

(With inputs from agencies)