COVID-19 may increase the risk of other illnesses

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 cases constituted a pandemic more than 1 year ago, just over 164 million people have contracted the underlying virus, and 3.4 million people have died as a result.Many with the infection are asymptomatic, but others have symptoms that can range from mild to severe. The virus has overwhelmed the healthcare systems of some countries, with hospital intensive care units filled beyond capacity due to the number of severely ill COVID-19 patients.The symptoms of COVID-19 may clear up within a matter of weeks, but they can last much longer. Doctors sometimes refer to this issue as “long COVID” and the people who experience it as “long haulers.” The researchers checked the participants’ records to see how many had been diagnosed with a new medical condition within 6 months of the “post-acute phase,” which they defined as a period beginning 3 weeks after the initial COVID-19 diagnosis.After compiling this data, the study authors compared it with data from other groups who had been admitted to the hospital, including a group with a continuous healthcare plan in 2020 who did not have diagnosed COVID-19.The researchers found that 14% of participants with COVID-19 had developed at least one new medical condition that required treatment following the acute phase of their SARS-CoV-2 infection.A new health condition that occurs as a consequence of a previous illness is called a “sequela.” The authors write:“An increased risk of specific clinical sequelae after the acute infection was noted across a range of organ systems, including cardiovascular, neurologic, kidney, respiratory, and mental health complications.” The risk of developing a new condition was 5% higher among this group, compared with the control group who did not have diagnosed COVID-19.The increased likelihood of experiencing a new medical condition following a SARS-CoV-2 infection was not limited to older people or people with preexisting conditions. Many younger people, including those with no previous history of health issues, developed a new condition after having COVID-19.