Millions of people who recovered from COVID-19 at risk of developing new illnesses

By Tom Campbell via SWNS

Millions of people over 65 who have recovered from COVID-19 are at greater risk of developing another illness, warns new research.

Older people are more likely to suffer a wide range of health problems in the months following their COVID-19 diagnosis, say scientists.

These new conditions affect different organs and bodily functions, including the heart, kidneys, lungs and liver, as well as mental health problems.

While previous studies have looked at the severity of these follow-u' conditions, also known as sequelae, few have examined the increased risk people face after recovering from COVID-19.

But now, scientists in the United States have found people who recover from COVID-19 may not be out of the woods yet.

Their findings were published in the BMJ.

Author Dr. Ken Cohen, at Optum Labs in Minnetonka said: “These findings further highlight the wide range of important sequelae after acute infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

"Understanding the magnitude of risk for the most important clinical sequelae might enhance their diagnosis and the management of individuals with sequelae after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection.”

To date, out of the 398,785,192 people who have been infected with COVID-19, 318,704,015 have recovered and 5,771,443 have died.

Health insurance records were used to identify 133,366 people over 65 who were diagnosed with the virus before April 1, 2020.

Any persistent or new conditions which started within 21 days after a COVID-19 diagnosis were recorded by the researchers.

This was compared with two other groups of people from 2019 and 2020 who did not have COVID-19, and one which had been diagnosed with viral lower respiratory tract illness.

In the COVID-19 group, 32 percent of people sought medical treatment for one or more new or persistent conditions in the months following their diagnoses, the researchers found.

This was 11 percent higher than the 2019 and 2020 control groups, suggesting people recovering from the virus may be vulnerable to other illnesses.

In particular, they were more likely to suffer from respiratory failure, fatigue, higher blood pressure and mental health issues.

People who had been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 had a markedly higher risk for most, but not all conditions.

But when compared with the group who had been diagnosed with viral lower respiratory tract illness, the risk was only higher for certain conditions, including respiratory failure, dementia and fatigue.

It also varied for men, Black people and patients over 75-years-old.

Their findings could help identify and treat individuals who are particularly vulnerable to developing new illnesses after getting COVID-19.

Dr. Cohen said: “Also, our results can help providers and other key stakeholders anticipate the scale of future health complications and improve planning for the use of healthcare resources."