Introduction: Reports of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 continue to emerge, but it remains unclear how the severity of a patient's COVID-19 infection affects risk for future hospitalizations for non-COVID-19 problems.
Methods: An analysis of electronic health records (EHR) was performed for a cohort of 10,646 patients who were followed for 6 months post-COVID-19 episode at 1 health system. COVID-19-positive patients were classified as severe if they were hospitalized within the first 30 days of their initial positive test. Assessment of hospitalizations overall and conditions that could be seen as complications of COVID-19 (cardiovascular, respiratory, and clotting diagnoses) was assessed. The 6-month risk of a new hospitalization was assessed in both unadjusted and adjusted Cox regressions.
Results: Of the 10,646 patients included in this cohort,114 had severe COVID-19, 211 had mild/moderate COVID-19, and 10,321 were COVID-19 negative. After adjustment for potential confounding variables, there was no significantly increased risk in future hospitalization for any condition for patients who were COVID-19 positive versus those who were COVID-19 negative (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.98-1.74). In adjusted analyses, individuals with severe COVID-19 had an increased risk of hospitalization for potential complications compared with both mild/moderate COVID-19 (HR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.13-4.28) and COVID-19 negative patients (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.52-3.30).
Discussion: Patients with a severe COVID-19 episode were at greater risk for future hospitalizations. This study reinforces the importance of preventing infection in patients at higher risk for severe COVID-19 cases.
Keywords: COVID-19; Cohort Studies; Electronic Health Records; Hospitalization; Respiration Disorders.
© Copyright 2021 by the American Board of Family Medicine.