NEW YORK, Dec 9 — Pneumonia, respiratory failure, and kidney failure are among the complications associated with Covid-19, confirms a large US study conducted in more than 70,000 patients. Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, this work confirms certain complications related to the disease, already highlighted by previous studies, but invalidates others such as a potential increased risk of stroke.
What are the most common complications associated with Covid-19? While some have been highlighted since the beginning of the pandemic, there is still doubt about a handful of them. A team of US and Canadian researchers has been working on the subject to improve the diagnosis of patients and offer them the most appropriate treatments.
“Understanding the full range of associated conditions can aid in prognosis, guide treatment decisions and better inform patients as to their actual risks for the variety of Covid-19 complications reported in the literature and media,” explains Dr William Murk, one of the main authors of the research.
Scientists used a database of anonymised hospital and ambulatory care claims to identify 70,288 patients who had a health appointment related to Covid-19 between March 1 and April 30, 2020. Researchers essentially analysed the diagnostic codes and highlighted those that were more important after the onset of the disease in these patients, more than half of whom were hospitalised.
Among the most common complications associated with Covid-19 were pneumonia (27.6 per cent absolute risk for a person with the disease), respiratory failure (22.6 per cent), kidney failure (11.8 per cent), and sepsis or systemic inflammation (10.4 per cent). Researchers have also identified collapsed lungs as a complication, as well as blood clotting disorders.
The authors of the study note, however, that Covid-19 did not appear to be associated with an increased risk of stroke, as some previous studies have suggested. — AFP-Relaxnews
