One in eight people who were hospitalised with COVID-19 between May 2020 and March 2021 were later diagnosed with myocarditis, or heart inflammation, according to major new research into the clinical long-term effects of COVID-19.
The largest study of its kind to date was led by the University of Glasgow in collaboration with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC), and followed for one year, in real time, 159 patients after they were hospitalised with COVID-19. The results, which show that patients hospitalised with COVID-19 between May 2020 and March 2021 have a number of ongoing health conditions, are published in Nature Medicine.
The study also looked at why some patients suffer long-term ill health after hospitalisation with COVID-19. Until now it has been speculated that previous underlying health conditions may be linked to the severity of post-COVID long-term effects. However, this new landmark study suggests that it is the severity of the COVID-19 infection itself that is most closely correlated to the severity of a patient’s long-COVID symptoms, rather than pre-existing health problems.