Half of First Wave Covid patients “had complications”

A new study found that half of coronavirus patients hospitalized during the first wave developed at least one complication.

The study, published in The Lancet Medical Journal, included more than 70,000 adults in the United Kingdom who were hospitalized for severe Covid-19 disease.

Of these, half (36,367 out of 73,197) developed one or more health complications during their stay.

Kidney damage was the most common complication (24.3%), followed by lung complications (18.4%) and heart complications (12.3%).

Studies have shown that people with complications are almost twice as likely to die and seven times more likely to require intensive care than people without complications.

Complications in hospitalized patients were also high in previously healthy young people.

Researchers say these complications are likely to have significant short-term and long-term implications for patients, health care use, health system readiness, and society in an ongoing pandemic. ..

They also state that these complications differ from the long Covid symptoms of patients who were not hospitalized for the disease.

Studies show that 27% of people aged 19-29 and 37% of people aged 30-39 experienced complications.

Acute complications are associated with reduced self-care discharge, with 13% of 19-29 years and 17% of 30-39 years unable to take care of themselves upon discharge.

The study examined cases from January 17 to August 4, last year, before the vaccine became widely available, and found no new variants of the virus.

However, the authors say their findings remain relevant in dispelling the suggestion that Covid-19 poses no risk to young healthy adults, many of whom remain unvaccinated. I will.

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Researchers warn that policy makers must consider not only mortality, but also the risk of complications for those who survive Covid-19, when making decisions about relaxing restrictions. I will.

They predict that Covid’s complications are likely to pose significant challenges to individual and health and social care systems in the coming years.

Professor Calum Semple, a senior researcher and co-senior author at the University of Liverpool, said: “This study contradicts the current explanation that Covid-19 is only dangerous to people with pre-existing comorbidities and the elderly.

“It is becoming increasingly important to dispel and contribute to the scientific debate over such stories.

“Since the severity of the disease on admission is a predictor of complications even in young adults, prevention of complications requires a primary prevention strategy that means vaccination.”

He said at a press conference: “I was really very surprised. I was hoping that the same relationship we saw as death, in other words, the complications would be complications for the frail and the elderly.

“And I was really very upset when I saw him talking about a young man who was previously healthy and had complications.”

“Young adults will be hurt”

Professor Semple added: “My personal position and where this influences my policy advice is the message that Covid is a frail illness and there is nothing to worry about for older people and young people.

“We now recognize that the paradigm is naive. Certainly young people do not die of this disease, but young adults are damaged by this disease and leave a legacy. It is their life. To the extent that they can have a significant impact on what they want, how they want to live. “

A new study evaluated in-hospital complications in adults 19 years and older. SARS-CoV-2 infection has been confirmed or highly suspected, leading to Covid-19 disease.

Complications were assessed at multiple time points until discharge or up to 28 days after admission if the patient was not discharged.

Eighty,388 patients were included in the study, but 7,191 were excluded due to duplication of medical records, either because they were not eligible for the study or because data on complications they experienced during hospitalization was not collected. It was.

Of the remaining 73,197 patients, 56% were male, 81% were underlying disease, 74% were Caucasian, and the average age of the cohort was 71 years.

Almost one in three participants in this study (32%, 23,092 out of 73,197) died.

Overall, complications occurred in 50% of all participants and included 44% of surviving participants (21,784 of 50,105).

Dr. Thomas Drake, co-author of the University of Edinburgh, said: “Our study shows that it is important to consider not only Covid-19 deaths but also other complications.

“This should provide policy makers with data to help them make decisions about their pandemic efforts and future plans.

“We are still studying participants in our study to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 on their health.”