People hospitalized with severe covid-19 often pay a heavy price. The study found that people who had tested negative for the virus were more likely to die than survivors. The risk of death was higher for people under the age of 65.
Many covid-19 survivors can experience symptoms even after the infection has been cleared up, according to studies so far. Those who are hospitalized are more vulnerable to these effects. Life-saving interventions like steroids, ventilators, and life support devices can take a toll on the body, while severe covid damages the lungs and other organs.
The University of Florida published a study in July showing that survivors who were hospitalized were more likely to be hospitalized again within six months. The new study looked at the long-term mortality risk of patients up to a year later.
A study was done on nearly 15,000 patients in the same health care system. There were 178 people who were diagnosed with severe COVID-19 and 246 who were diagnosed with mild to moderate covid-19, as well as many others who tested negative for the virus but may have been sick for other reasons. Those with severe covid were 2.5 times more likely to die in the next 12 months than those with no covid. Over half of severe covid patients died in a year. There was no increased risk of death for mild to moderate cases.
The authors of the study said that the increased risk of death from covid-19 is not limited to the initial episode, but a severe episode carries with it a substantially increased risk of death in the following 12 months.
