Multiple organ dysfunction is more common in people discharged from hospital after COVID-19 than in the general population, BMJ reported referring to a new study.
The increased risk of organ damage is not limited to the elderly and is not evenly distributed across ethnic groups, leading researchers to speculate that the long-term burden of COVID-19-related disease on hospitals and broader healthcare systems is likely to be significant.
Although COVID-19 is best known for its negative effects on the respiratory system, Eurekalert.org says it can affect other organs and systems in the body, including the heart, kidneys, and liver.
Some unexplained symptoms that persist for more than 12 weeks after COVID-19 are thought to be part of post-covid syndrome, but the long-term picture of organ damage after infection is still unclear. To investigate this, a group of British researchers set out to compare rates of organ dysfunction in people with COVID-19 months after hospital discharge with a control group.
Their findings are based on 47,780 people (mean age 65, 55% of men) in a UK hospital with COVID-19 who were discharged alive by 31 August 2020.
The results showed that the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of PTSD requires complex approaches rather than specific organs or diseases. In addition, according to the researchers, urgent research is needed “to understand the risk factors for post-COVID syndrome so that treatment can better target demographically and clinically at risk groups.
