Shortness of breath, heart rate abnormalities and type 2 diabetes are all more likely to be seen in former COVID-19 patients than individuals who tested negative for COVID-19, according to a new analysis published in JAMA Network Open.
“New symptoms and conditions months after a positive SARS-CoV-2 test have been described among small cohorts of nonhospitalized and hospitalized persons,” wrote lead author Alfonso C. Hernandez-Romieu, MD, a COVID-19 specialist with the CDC, and colleagues. “However, population-based estimates of the occurrence of new symptoms and conditions following a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection remain undercharacterized in the United States. In addition, whether certain new symptoms and conditions occur more frequently among persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with those without has not been well established.”
Hernandez-Romieu et al. explored PCORnet, a national database that draws from the electronic health records of more than 60 healthcare systems, to track symptoms identified in patients 31 to 150 days after taking a COVID-19 test. All patients were treated from March 2000 to December 2000.
The team’s analysis included data from more than 168,000 patients 20 years old or older who tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 1.6 million patients 20 years old or older who tested negative. In addition, they evaluated data from more than 26,000 patients younger than 20 years old who tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 311,000 patients younger than 20 years old who tested negative. Some patients in all groups were hospitalized, though many were not hospitalized.
Overall, the authors found, shortness of breath was more common among hospitalized patients from both age groups who had tested positive for COVID-19 than those who had tested negative. It was also more common among younger nonhospitalized patients who had tested positive than those who had tested negative.
Nonspecific heart rate abnormalities—including tachycardia, bradycardia or palpitations—were also more common among hospitalized patients from both age groups who tested positive for COVID-19.
Fatigue and type 2 diabetes, meanwhile, were more common among hospitalized patients 20 years old and older who had tested positive for COVID-19. Type 2 diabetes was also more common hospitalized patients from the younger age group, but the difference was less than 1%.
“Although new symptoms and conditions occurred infrequently, applying the proportions of these rare events to the millions of persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 means that a substantial number might experience new symptoms and conditions after their acute illness,” the authors wrote. “In addition, new symptoms can be long-lasting and involve chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. Increasing awareness of new symptoms and conditions among health care professionals and health systems is paramount to meet the needs of patients with prolonged or chronic sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
Read the full analysis here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.