Hospitalization for COVID-19 increases risks of death, diseases: Study

Long-term health risks for COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized include increased chances of death and organ disorders, even years after discharge, according to a nationwide study published in the journal Infectious Diseases.

Researchers examined data from over 380,000 individuals, including more than 60,000 hospitalized due to COVID-19 in 2020.

They tracked the health of individuals for up to 30 months, comparing those hospitalized for COVID-19 with a control group from the general population who were not hospitalized during this period.

"We observed that subjects discharged alive from COVID-19 hospitalization have an increased 30-month risk of all-cause mortality and of all-cause hospitalization," the study said, revealing that the risks were notably higher for neurological, respiratory, renal, and diabetes-related conditions.

The first six months after hospitalization were critical, with patients facing nearly three times the excess risk of death. While the risk decreased over time, it remained about 7% higher when health records were reviewed two and a half years later.

COVID-19 hospitalized patients also had a higher hospitalization rate for cardiovascular disorders compared to the general population group.

"Very few studies evaluated the consequences of COVID-19 among patients hospitalized with such long follow-up," the researchers noted.

"It is important to estimate how long severe COVID-19 leading to hospitalization has an impact on patients' health and health care use," they added.