Mortality Risk Increased for Six Months After COVID-19 in Veterans
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Aug. 31, 2023 -- U.S. veterans infected with COVID-19 have an increased risk for mortality during days 0 to 90 and 91 to 180, but risk is reduced thereafter through two years, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Theodore J. Iwashyna, M.D., Ph.D., from Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs in Michigan, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study using prospectively collected health record data from Veterans Affairs hospitals across the United States for veterans who had COVID-19 between March 2020 and April 2021. Each individual was matched with up to five comparators who had not been infected with COVID-19. Data were included for 208,061 veterans with COVID-19 infection and 1,037,423 matched uninfected comparators.
The researchers found that during the two-year period after initial infection, the unadjusted mortality rate was 8.7 percent for veterans with COVID-19 compared with 4.1 percent among uninfected comparators (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.01, with censoring if the comparator later developed COVID-19). There was variation in the risk for excess death, with the highest risk during days 0 to 90 after infection and elevated risk during days 91 to 180 (adjusted hazard ratios, 6.36 and 1.18, respectively). Mortality was reduced on days 181 to 365 and 366 to 730 among those who survived COVID-19 (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.92 and 0.89, respectively). Across sensitivity analyses, the patterns were consistent.
"This finding has individual level and health system planning implications and should be reassuring to persons who have survived COVID-19 for at least 180 days," the authors write.
Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2023
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Active Surveillance Effective Strategy for Favorable-Risk Prostate Cancer
FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- Active surveillance is an effective management strategy for men with favorable-risk prostate cancer, with an estimated rate of metastasis of 1.4 percent at...
BMI Cutoff of 30 for Obesity May Be Too High for Middle-Aged, Older Adults
FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- The optimal body mass index (BMI) cutoff point appears to be 27 kg/m2 for detecting obesity in middle-aged and older adults, according to a study presented...
Emergency Inguinal Hernia Surgery Rates Increased With Lower Country Income
FRIDAY, May 31, 2024 -- For patients undergoing inguinal hernia surgery, emergency surgery rates increase from high- to low-income countries, according to a study published online...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.