Patients who have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 are likely to continue experiencing respiratory problems or physical impairments and post-traumatic stress symptoms, for several months after being discharged, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.*

“Unfortunately, COVID-19 is not only an acute illness. Physical sequelae [conditions as a consequence of having had COVID-19] are common and often paralleled by psychological consequences,” said Mattia Bellan, MD, Ph.D., an internist at the Università del Piemonte Orientale in Novara, Italy, and the study’s lead author.

Learn more about the findings of this study as explained by the American Medical Association (AMA)*

What they did

Dr. Bellan and his research team evaluated 238 patients who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 and subsequently released. 

The evaluation tools included:

• Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) to assess diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide 
• Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) to assess functional impairment
• Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) test for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

What they found

The team found that four months after patients left the hospital:

• 51.6% had diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide that was reduced to less than 80% based on PFTs.
• 15.5% had diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide that was reduced to less than 60% based on PFTs.
• 22.3% had impaired motor function based on SPPB assessments.
• 17.2% had clinically significant PTSD symptoms (11.3% moderate and 5.9% severe).

Patients with normal scores on the SPPB test later underwent a two-minute walk test to look for subtler impairment. Of those, 31.5% showed some level of impairment, raising the total share of patients experiencing functional impairment to 53.8%.

Dr. Bellan and his colleagues also discovered that age was not associated with reduced diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide nor impaired motor function. “In survivors, the residual damage was not worse than in younger people,” the study stated. “Essentially, this finding confirms that older individuals who survive COVID-19 may not be less able than their younger counterparts to revert to their previous state of health.”

What it means

Patients hospitalized for COVID-19 have a good chance of experiencing lingering physical symptoms of the disease and some post-traumatic stress symptoms for at least a few months after being discharged. Older age does not appear to influence whether or not patients continue to experience symptoms or the severity of those symptoms. 

Dr. Bellan and his team plan to evaluate the patients again when they reach the first anniversary of their hospital discharge to document any lingering symptoms. “Whether these sequelae will persist, improve, or even worsen…needs to be clarified,” he said.

*Albert Henry, T. (2021, Feb. 19). New clues on COVID-19 long-haulers from Italy, an early hot spot. American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/new-clues-covid-19-long-haulers-italy-early-hot-spot 

Much about the novel coronavirus, i.e., COVID-19, is still not fully understood. As research progresses and our knowledge of the virus increases, information can change rapidly. We strive to update all of our articles as quickly as possible, but there may occasionally be some lag between scientific developments and our revisions.