Severe cases of COVID-19 are linked to an increased risk of death in the 12 months following recovery from the illness, particularly among those under 65 years of age, and for reasons not directly related to the usual complications of SARS-CoV-2. A study conducted by the University of Florida and published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine indicates that patients who survived the worst forms of COVID-19 experience a general decline in health that makes them vulnerable to other diseases.
Importance of the Study
The study's authors emphasize the importance of vaccines, which are effective in reducing the number of patients whose conditions require hospitalization, as well as severe cases. The research indicates that those recovering from a severe COVID-19 infection are more than twice as likely to face the risk of death in the year following recovery compared to those with mild or moderate illness or who have not contracted the disease at all.
The team followed the electronic medical records of 13,638 patients who underwent PCR testing, including 178 with severe COVID-19, 246 with mild or moderate cases, while the remainder tested negative.
Study Summary
The results showed that individuals with severe COVID-19 under the age of 65 were 233% more likely to die in the following year compared to those who were uninfected. Those who experienced mild or moderate COVID-19 were "not at significant risk of death" compared to uninfected individuals, highlighting the importance of reducing the chances of infection through vaccination.
Eighty percent of the deaths occurred due to various reasons typically unrelated to the coronavirus, indicating that patients may have suffered from a general decline in their health that made them susceptible to various illnesses, according to the study.
