Article Text
Abstract
Background The symptoms, radiography, biochemistry and healthcare utilisation of patients with COVID-19 following discharge from hospital have not been well described.
Methods Retrospective analysis of 401 adult patients attending a clinic following an index hospital admission or emergency department attendance with COVID-19. Regression models were used to assess the association between characteristics and persistent abnormal chest radiographs or breathlessness.
Results 75.1% of patients were symptomatic at a median of 53 days post discharge and 72 days after symptom onset and chest radiographs were abnormal in 47.4%. Symptoms and radiographic abnormalities were similar in PCR-positive and PCR-negative patients. Severity of COVID-19 was significantly associated with persistent radiographic abnormalities and breathlessness. 18.5% of patients had unscheduled healthcare visits in the 30 days post discharge.
Conclusions Patients with COVID-19 experience persistent symptoms and abnormal blood biomarkers with a gradual resolution of radiological abnormalities over time. These findings can inform patients and clinicians about expected recovery times and plan services for follow-up of patients with COVID-19.
- COVID-19
Data availability statement
All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplemental information. All data are contained in the manuscript.
This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
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Data availability statement
All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplemental information. All data are contained in the manuscript.
Footnotes
PM and OMK contributed equally.
Contributors PM, BW, KK, VP, SC, BR, JC, KS, MP, HO, JM, FL, JA, LM, MG, SE, CR, SB, AMS, AK, PR, AS, LA, GR and OMK organised the clinic, carried out clinical assessments, collected, collated and analysed the clinical data. PM, BW, VP, OMK, CB and JM summarised and analysed the data. PM, CB, JM, MP and OMK drafted the manuscript. All authors revised the final manuscript.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.