A recent analysis in the Journal of Internal Medicine has identified several characteristics associated with a higher likelihood of receiving a post-COVID-19 condition diagnosis.
In the study of 204,805 individuals who tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 in Stockholm, Sweden from March 2020 through July 2021, the proportion receiving a post-COVID-19 condition diagnosis was 1% among individuals not hospitalised for their COVID-19 infection, 6% among hospitalised, and 32% among individuals treated in intensive care units (ICUs).
Female sex, previous mental health disorders, and asthma were associated with post-COVID-19 conditions among non-hospitalised and hospitalised individuals.
Among individuals with post-COVID-19 conditions, the use of outpatient care was substantially elevated up to one year after the acute infection.
“In this study, we observed a marked difference in the occurrence of post-COVID-19 condition diagnosis across different severities of the acute infection,” corresponding author Pontus Hedberg, MD and postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska Institutet said.
“Furthermore, the elevated outpatient primary and specialist care use indicates poor recovery for individuals suffering from post-COVID-19-condition, highlighting the urgent need to better understand this condition and its potential resolution over time.”
