COVID-19 hospitalization linked to later readmission, death: U.K. study

A new study suggests there may be a need for increased monitoring of COVID-19 patients after they're discharged from hospital, with data showing these patients are at a greater risk of readmission and death.

U.K. researchers conducted a statistical analysis of electronic health records from the database OpenSAFELY, evaluating data on nearly 25,000 patients who had been discharged after being hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2020.

The study then compared this data with more than 100,000 members of the public. To account for risks after hospitalization for an infectious disease, researchers also analyzed more than 15,000 patients who had been hospitalized for influenza between 2017 and 2019.

The analysis reports that patients who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 and lived for at least one week after discharge had twice the overall risk of hospital readmission or death in subsequent months, compared to the general population. The study found that these patients also had nearly five times the risk of death from any cause following discharge.

• Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox

"Our findings suggest that people who have had a severe case of COVID-19 requiring a hospital stay are at substantially elevated risk of experiencing further health problems in the months after their hospitalization," said London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine professor Krishnan Bhaskaran in a press release.

Researchers warn this could have "significant" impacts on public health even after the pandemic ends.

"Given high rates of current and past SARS-CoV-2 infection in many countries, understanding risks to health beyond acute infection is vital to support resource planning and inform measures to mitigate and reduce risks," the study's authors wrote.

The findings were published Tuesday in peer-reviewed journal PLOS Medicine.

To help clarify long-term health risks for people infected with COVID-19, the study focused on those who had been hospitalized for the disease.

The analysis found that COVID-19 patients faced a "slightly lower combined risk" of hospitalization or death overall, but had a greater risk compared to influenza patients of death from any cause, hospital readmission or death resulting from the initial infection, and a greater risk of death due to dementia.

Researchers say these risks could be mitigated by raising further awareness of potential complications of COVID-19 and increasing monitoring of patients after hospitalization, including through primary care physicians.

"It is important that patients and their doctors are aware of this so that any problems that develop can be treated as early as possible," Bhaskaran said in the release.

In addition, Bhaskaran said the analysis underscores the effectiveness of vaccines in the fight against COVID-19.

"Our findings also highlight the importance of getting vaccinated, which is the best tool we have for preventing severe COVID-19 in the first place," he said in the release.

The study's authors say the findings coincide with other research showing greater risks of subsequent health issues for those who have been infected with COVID-19. However, they stress that evidence on the topic remains "limited."

Researchers say future studies should look at whether these patterns persist amid emerging new variants and increased rates of vaccination.