People who have survived a severe bout of Covid-19 are more than twice as likely to die over the following 12 months than those who only experienced mild illness from the virus or have not been exposed to it at all, research has suggested.
The US study published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine has argued that a serious Covid-19 infection where a patient has been hospitalised carries with it “a substantially increased” risk of death in the following year.
The risk of dying among adults aged under 65 who had been hospitalised from the virus was 233% higher than those who had not been infected with Covid-19, it argued.
The researchers tracked the electronic health records of 13,638 patients who underwent a PCR test for Covid-19 within the University of Florida’s health system.
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Although the authors, led by Professor Arch Mainous of the University of Florida, concede the study was limited, in that it was based on an analysis of patients in just one health system, the findings could have ramifications for occupational health practitioners working to support those recovering from severe illness and hospitalisation from the disease.
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The authors concluded: “This study demonstrates a previously undocumented risk to infection with Covid-19, particularly for patients who are hospitalized for Covid-19.
“These patients have a substantially increased risk for mortality over the next 12 months. The benefits of preventing severe Covid-19 goes beyond flattening the curve for overwhelming the health system with hospitalized patients but extends to decreased 12-month mortality risk for conditions other than Covid-19 directly.”
