Almost 12% of patients said they could no longer provide basic care themselves (representation)
Washington:
Scientists evaluated data from more than 1,600 COVID-19 patients in the United States and found that within two months of being discharged from hospital, nearly 7% of them had died and 15% were returned to the hospital.
Researchers, including those at the University of Michigan in the United States, analyzed data from 1,648 patients with COVID-19 admitted to 38 Michigan hospitals and found that 398 had died during hospitalization and that 1,250 had survived.
They interviewed 488 of the surviving patients over the phone approximately 60 days after their hospitalization.
According to the study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, more than 39% of patients surveyed said they had not yet returned to normal activities, two months after leaving the hospital.
Almost 12 percent of them said they could no longer provide basic care themselves or as well as before.
“These data suggest that the burden of COVID-19 extends far beyond the hospital and far beyond health. The mental, financial and physical consequences of this disease on survivors appear significant,” said co-author of the University of Michigan Vineet Chopra study.
Nearly 23% of patients said they were short of breath while walking up a flight of stairs, and a third had COVID-like symptoms, many of whom still had taste or smell problems, the study noted.
About half of those polled said they were emotionally affected by their experience with COVID-19 – including a minority who said they sought mental health care, the scientists added.
“The large number of people struggling after COVID brings new urgency to developing programs to better promote and support recovery from acute illness,” said Hallie Prescott, another co-author of the study.
