Residual Risk Seen for Death, Postacute Sequelae in Third Year After COVID-19 Hospitalization
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 13, 2024 -- For individuals with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the risks for death and postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) reduce over three years but persist, especially among hospitalized individuals, according to a study published online May 30 in Nature Medicine.
Miao Cai, Ph.D., from the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System, and colleagues followed a cohort of 135,161 people with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 5,206,835 controls from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who were followed for three years to estimate the risks for death and PASC.
The researchers found that the increased risk for death was no longer seen after the first year of infection among nonhospitalized individuals. The risk for incident PASC declined over three years, but in the third year, it still accounted for 9.6 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 1,000 persons in year 3. The risk for death decreased among hospitalized individuals, but in the third year after infection, it remained significantly elevated (incidence rate ratio, 1.29). Over the three years, the risk for incident PASC decreased, but substantial residual risk persisted in the third year, resulting in 90.0 DALYs per 1,000 persons.
"That a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to new health problems three years down the road is a sobering finding," Ziyad Al-Aly, M.D., also from the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System, said in a statement. "The problem is even worse for people with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is very concerning that the burden of disease among hospitalized individuals is astronomically higher."
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry; one author reported ties to Guidepoint.
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.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2024
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Declining Childhood Vaccination May Increase Risk for Vaccine-Preventable Infections
WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2025 -- Declining childhood vaccination rates may increase outbreaks of eliminated vaccine-preventable infections within the United States, leading to a...
AACR: Incidence-Based Mortality Dropping for Young Women With Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- Incidence-based mortality (IBM) declined from 2010 to 2020 among women aged 20 to 49 years diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a study presented...
AACR: Nonsurgical Treatment Feasible for Mismatch Repair-Deficient Tumors
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- A neoadjuvant programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade enables nonoperative management among patients with early-stage mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)...
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.