Some of those who 'recovered' from Covid returned to hospital within 5 months with complications.
A third of those who ‘recovered’ from severe Covid returned to hospital within 5 months with complications including diabetes, heart, liver and kidney conditions.
‘Recovered’ Covid patients being readmitted
New research has revealed the devastating long term impact of Covid with one in eight patients dying within five months of being diagnosed.
Out of 47,780 people discharged from hospital in the first wave, 29.4% were back in hospital within 140 days and 12.3% died according to figures from The University of Leicester and the Office for National Statistics.
Covid survivors were 3.5x more likely to return to hospital and die compared to those with other conditions.
The study is thought to be the largest of its kind with regards to studying what happens to people discharged from hospital post-Covid.
This revelation makes it likely that the overall Covid death toll is far higher than the 89,261 deaths recorded so far. Professor of primary care, diabetes and vascular medicine at Leicester University and study author, Kamlesh Khunti, said: “People seem to be going home, getting long-term effects, coming back in and dying. We see nearly 30% have been readmitted, and that’s a lot of people. The numbers are so large.”
Professor Khunti stated that the findings indicate that the NHS needs to introduce a monitoring system for Covid patients after leaving hospital. He suggested that people could be placed on protective drugs such as statins and aspirins to stop them from developing serious conditions.
He said: “We don’t know if it’s because Covid destroyed the beta cells which make insulin and you get Type 1 diabetes, or whether it causes insulin resistance, and you develop Type 2, but we are seeing these surprising new diagnoses of diabetes.”
In December, the ONS estimated that 10% of Covid patients went on to suffer from long Covid for three months or more. Long Covid symptoms include extreme tiredness, shortness of breath and problems with memory and concentration.
Sir Simon Stevens , NHS England boss, announced yesterday that a new Covid patient is being admitted to hospital every 30 seconds.
