Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 often report a wide range of symptoms months after their initial illness. But a new study from NDORMS shows that post-acute infection syndrome (PAIS) is not unique to COVID-19 and can also occur after other respiratory infections.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, provides important insights into the long-term impacts of severe respiratory infections on patient health.

The research, led by Dr. Junqing Xie from NDORMS, looked at data from 190,000 participants from the UK Biobank, categorizing them into three groups: those hospitalized with COVID-19, those hospitalized with other lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), and a reference group with no LRTI hospitalizations. Participants completed surveys reporting on 45 different physical and psychological symptoms.

"Our findings show that the post-acute effects of COVID-19 are not unique—they can also occur with other severe respiratory infections," explained Junqing. "Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 saw higher risks of 23 out of 45 symptoms observed across multiple bodily systems, so do 18 out of 45 for patients hospitalized for non-COVID LRTIs."

Although previous studies have shown that COVID-19 patients may have persistent ageusia (loss of taste) or severe fatigue, one of the main concerns arising from this study are the neurological and cognitive symptoms also observed. For example, problems with thinking and communicating are not only higher than in the reference group, but also than those hospitalized for other LRTIs.

"As health care systems continue to grapple with the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's critical that we expand our understanding of long-term health consequences that can arise from other severe respiratory infections," said Junqing. "Also, by recognizing differences/similarities between PAIS caused by a different virus, we can plan better preventive measures and tailored care for these patients."