Topline
Covid-19 often saddles people with months of lingering health problems, and patients who survive the first month without going to the hospital still face an almost 60% higher risk of death, according to a study Thursday that backs up many experts’ fears about “long Covid.”
Healthcare worker holds a Covid-19 testing kit.
Key Facts
The study, published in Nature, looked at over 70,000 Department of Veterans Affairs patients who caught the coronavirus but weren’t hospitalized and — unlike most people who die from Covid-19 — survived the first 30 days after getting diagnosed.
Those patients were 59% more likely to die within six months of diagnosis than VA patients who never caught the coronavirus (about 2.3% of people with the coronavirus died, compared to 1.4% of those without the virus).
People who survived the coronavirus were also left with lingering symptoms: They faced an increased risk of lung problems, cardiovascular conditions, gastrointestinal issues, fatigue and anxiety, and they were more likely to seek outpatient care within six months.
Surprising Fact
The study also compared people who were hospitalized with Covid-19 to those who went to the hospital for the seasonal flu. In those patients, Covid-19 was tied to a 51% higher risk of death after 30 days than the flu, and coronavirus survivors were more likely to suffer from months of lung, cardiovascular and other health problems.
Contra
The study has some limitations because it focused solely on military veterans, its authors said. Less than 20% of patients were female, and most were over the age of 60.
Key Background
Many coronavirus patients seem to recover from the virus within a few weeks, but researchers are increasingly worried Covid-19 can leave people with long-term health effects, a problem often known as “long Covid.” Patients who were hospitalized often face lingering symptoms months after they’re discharged, and even people who initially dealt with mild symptoms can end up with months of stubborn health problems. Thursday’s study is one of the largest to look at this problem, and its authors cast the study as proof health officials need to be prepared for some coronavirus survivors to face longer-term illness.
Crucial Quote
“We got caught unprepared for Covid. Let’s not drop the ball on long Covid,” Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a VA researcher and one of the study’s authors, said on Twitter.
Further Reading
‘Long Covid’ Could Be A Cyclical Disease That Moves Around Body Systems, Report Finds (Forbes)
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