Chronic Diseases Journal (Mar 2024)
Prevalence of long-term complications of COVID-19 infection in patients with underlying disease
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still a health problem worldwide. As our current knowledge about the interaction of various underlying diseases and their management in COVID-19 mortality is gradually evolving, the current study investigated the complications and outcomes of COVID-19 up to 1 year after infection in individuals with underlying diseases. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, 725 patients with COVID-19 (414 women and 311 men) who had a history of specific diseases were selected and included in the study. The medical records of COVID-19 patients admitted to Kowsar Hospital, Iran, with cancer, kidney disease, history of organ transplant, history of cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and rheumatic diseases between 2020 and 2021 were investigated. In order to collect information about the condition of the patients and the complications, the patients were contacted until 1 year after contracting COVID-19. For analytical purposes and hypotheses, the chi-square t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used. Data analysis was performed in Stata software. RESULTS: The most common underlying diseases among hospitalized patients were rheumatic diseases (28.3%), followed by cancer (25.5%), and a history of CVA (16.6%). Despite the treatment, 241 patients (33.2%) died, and 96 of them (13%) died after being discharged from the hospital. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that a decrease in appetite and an increase in the duration of hospitalization can be predictors of the probability of death after COVID-19 infection in patients with a history of the studied underlying diseases.
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