Long-Term Clinical Consequences of Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 Infection

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019, putatively caused by infection with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2, often involves injury to multiple organs and there are limited data regarding the mid- to long-term consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 after discharge from the hospital. The study aimed to describe the mid- to long-term consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 in hospitalized patients after discharge.

Methods: This single-center, prospective study enrolled coronavirus disease 2019 patients who were discharged uneventfully from our center. All participants underwent face-toface interviews by trained physicians and were asked to complete a series of questionnaires on third and sixth months’ follow-up visits.

Results: A total of 406 consecutive discharged coronavirus disease 2019 patients were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to World Health Organization classification as follows: World Health Organization-3 (n=83); World Health Organization-4 (n=291); and World Health Organization-5,6 (n=32). Length of hospital stay was highly, significantly increased in the higher World Health Organization groups (World Health Organization-3 vs. World Health Organization-4, P <.0001; World Health Organization-3 vs. World Health Organization-5,6, P <.0001; World Health Organization-4 vs. World Health Organization-5,6, P <.0001), whereas the length of intensive care unit stay was highly, significantly increased only in World Health Organization-5,6 group compared to other groups (World Health Organization-3 vs. World Health Organization-5,6, P <.0001; World Health Organization-4 vs. World Health Organization-5,6, P <.0001). The most frequent complaints were chest pain (39%), and the frequency of complaints decreased during the 3-6 months follow-up period. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that age, coronary artery disease, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, troponin I, D-dimer, use of steroid and/or low molecular weight heparin, and World Health Organization class were found to be independent predictors of ongoing cardiovascular symptoms.

Conclusions: The current data demonstrated that persistent symptoms were common after coronavirus disease 2019 among hospitalized patients. This should raise awareness among healthcare professionals regarding coronavirus disease 2019 aftercare.