A large study of patients in the United States who contracted coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) confirms many complications of the disease, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
“Understanding the full spectrum of associated diseases can improve prognosis, guide treatment decisions, and better educate patients about their actual risks for the multitude of COVID-19 complications reported in the literature and media,” writes Dr. William Murk from the Jacobs School of Medicine & Life Sciences, University in Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, with co-authors from Aetion, Inc., HealthVerity, Inc., and the University of Toronto.
Using unidentified outpatient and inpatient medical details from a U.S. health database, between March 1 and April 30, 2020, researchers identified 70,288 patients who had a COVID-19-related health visit. More than half of all patients were hospitalized and approximately 5% were admitted to the intensive care unit. The mean age was 65 years and 55.8% were female. The authors examined all possible diagnostic codes and identified those whose incidence increased after the onset of COVID-19.
The most common complications associated with COVID-19 were pneumonia, respiratory failure, kidney failure, and sepsis or systemic inflammation, which is in line with other studies. The absolute risk of someone with COVID-19 having these serious illnesses was 27.6% for pneumonia, 22.6% for respiratory failure, 11.8% for kidney failure, and 10.4% for sepsis or systemic inflammation.
The researchers also found associations with a number of other lung and cardiovascular diseases, such as collapsed lungs, bleeding disorders, and heart inflammation, although the risk of these was relatively low. In contrast to results from other studies, COVID-19 did not appear to be associated with a higher risk of stroke.
“This study provides estimates of the absolute risk and relative likelihood for all identified diagnoses related to COVID-19 that are needed to help providers, patients, and policy makers understand the likelihood of complications,” the authors write.
Reference: “Diagnostic-wide analysis of COVID-19 complications: an exposure crossover study” December 8, 2020, CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
DOI: 10.1503 / cmaj.201686
