Kumar G, Bhalla A, Mukherjee A, Turuk A, Talukdar A, Mukherjee S, Bhardwaj P, Menon GR, Sahu D, Misra P, Sharma LK, Mohindra R, S S, Suri V, Das H, Sarkar D, Ghosh S, Ghosh P, Dutta M, Chakraborty S, Kumar D, Gupta MK, Goel AD, Baruah TD, Kannauje PK, Shukla AK, Khambholja JR, Patel A, Shah N, Bhuniya S, Panigrahi MK, Mohapatra PR, Pathak A, Sharma A, John M, Kaur K, Nongpiur V, Pala S, Shivnitwar SK, Krishna BR, Dulhani N, Gupta B, Gupta J, Bhandari S, Agrawal A, Aggarwal HK, Jain D, Shah AD, Naik P, Panchal M, Anderpa M, Kikon N, Humtsoe CN, Sharma N, Vohra R, Patnaik L, Sahoo JP, Joshi R, Kokane A, Ray Y, Rajvansh K, Purohit HM, Shah NM, Madharia A, Dube S, Shrivastava N, Kataria S, Shameem M, Fatima N, Ghosh S, Hazra A, D H, Salgar VB, Algur S, M L KY, M PK, Panda S, Vishnu Vardhana Rao M, and Bhargava B
Introduction: The effects of COVID-19 infection persist beyond the active phase. Comprehensive description and analysis of the post COVID sequelae in various population groups are critical to minimise the long-term morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. This analysis was conducted with an objective to estimate the frequency of post COVID sequelae and subsequently, design a framework for holistic management of post COVID morbidities., Methods: Follow-up data collected as part of a registry-based observational study in 31 hospitals across India since September 2020-October 2022 were used for analysis. All consenting hospitalised patients with COVID-19 are telephonically followed up for up to 1 year post-discharge, using a prestructured form focused on symptom reporting., Results: Dyspnoea, fatigue and mental health issues were reported among 18.6%, 10.5% and 9.3% of the 8042 participants at first follow-up of 30-60 days post-discharge, respectively, which reduced to 11.9%, 6.6% and 9%, respectively, at 1-year follow-up in 2192 participants. Patients who died within 90 days post-discharge were significantly older (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.03), with at least one comorbidity (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.31, 2.35), and a higher proportion had required intensive care unit admission during the initial hospitalisation due to COVID-19 (aOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.06) and were discharged at WHO ordinal scale 6-7 (aOR: 49.13 95% CI: 25.43, 94.92). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (at least one dose) was protective against such post-discharge mortality (aOR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.03)., Conclusion: Hospitalised patients with COVID-19 experience a variety of long-term sequelae after discharge from hospitals which persists although in reduced proportions until 12 months post-discharge. Developing a holistic management framework with engagement of care outreach workers as well as teleconsultation is a way forward in effective management of post COVID morbidities as well as reducing mortality., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)