People with Long-COVID after hospitalisation face limited recovery after one year

People who were hospitalised with COVID-19 and continued to experience symptoms at five months show limited further recovery one year after hospital discharge.

These findings are from recent results of the PHOSP-COVID study, released as a pre-print on medRxiv on Wednesday 15 December.

The study also confirmed earlier research that people who were less likely to make a full recovery from COVID-19 were female, obese, and required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) to support their breathing during their hospital stay.1

The study is led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and involves a range of partners, including Newcastle University and the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre.

The lead for Newcastle University’s partnership in PHOSP-COVID is Professor Anthony de Soyza. There are several other colleagues involved, including Deputy Lead for the Newcastle BRC Ageing Syndromes theme, Professor Miles Witham.

How the team carried out the study

Researchers from 53 institutions and 83 hospitals across the UK assessed 2,230 adults who had been hospitalised with COVID-19. All participants completed a five-month assessment; so far, 807 people have completed both the five-month and 12-month assessments. Recovery was measured using patient-reported data, physical performance and organ function tests. Participant blood samples at the five-month visit were analysed for around 300 substances linked to inflammation and immunity.

Information above adapted, with thanks from the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre. Click here to read the story in full

[1] Evans RA, McAuley H, Harrison EM et al. Physical, cognitive, and mental health impacts of COVID-19 after hospitalisation (PHOSP-COVID): a UK multicentre, prospective cohort study. Lancet Respir Med 2021 Nov 9(11):1275-1287