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Updated: Nov 7, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses
Published on: November 10, 2023
Late Conditions Diagnosed 1-4 Months Following an Initial Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Encounter: A
Jennifer R Chevinsky1,2, Guoyu Tao1, Amy M Lavery1
1COVID-19 Response Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Insights
A significant percentage of adults develop new health conditions weeks after a COVID-19 diagnosis. These post-COVID conditions affect multiple body systems, highlighting the need for ongoing care and resource planning.
Area of Science:
- Medical Research
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Late sequelae of COVID-19 (post-COVID conditions) require further investigation regarding incidence and timing.
- Distinguishing post-COVID conditions from other etiologies is crucial.
- Large administrative databases can be utilized to study post-COVID conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the type, association, and timing of post-COVID conditions after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
- To investigate the incidence of new health conditions following COVID-19.
- To differentiate COVID-19-related conditions from other late health issues.
Main Methods:
- A matched-cohort study using the Premier Healthcare Database Special COVID-19 Release.
- Inclusion of 27,589 COVID-19 inpatients and 46,857 outpatients (March-June 2020).
- Propensity score matching to compare COVID-19 patients with matched controls over a 4-month follow-up period.
Main Results:
- 7.0% of hospitalized adults and 7.7% of outpatients experienced post-COVID conditions (31-120 days post-diagnosis).
- COVID-19 outpatients were 2.8 times more likely to experience acute pulmonary embolism (31-60 days).
- Increased likelihood of various systemic conditions, including fatigue, chest pain, and neurological/gastrointestinal symptoms, was observed in COVID-19 patients.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the existence of late health conditions possibly related to COVID-19 in adults.
- Results can inform healthcare practices for follow-up care.
- Data aids in resource planning for post-COVID-19 patient management.
Background:
Late sequelae of COVID-19 have been reported; however, few studies have investigated the time course or incidence of late new COVID-19-related health conditions (post-COVID conditions) after COVID-19 diagnosis. Studies distinguishing post-COVID conditions from late conditions caused by other etiologies are lacking. Using data from a large administrative all-payer database, we assessed type, association, and timing of post-COVID conditions following COVID-19 diagnosis.
Methods:
Using the Premier Healthcare Database Special COVID-19 Release (release date, 20 October 2020) data, during March-June 2020, 27 589 inpatients and 46 857 outpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 (case-patients) were 1:1 matched with patients without COVID-19 through the 4-month follow-up period (control-patients) by using propensity score matching. In this matched-cohort study, adjusted ORs were calculated to assess for late conditions that were more common in case-patients than control-patients. Incidence proportion was calculated for conditions that were more common in case-patients than control-patients during 31-120 days following a COVID-19 encounter.
Results:
During 31-120 days after an initial COVID-19 inpatient hospitalization, 7.0% of adults experienced ≥1 of 5 post-COVID conditions. Among adult outpatients with COVID-19, 7.7% experienced ≥1 of 10 post-COVID conditions. During 31-60 days after an initial outpatient encounter, adults with COVID-19 were 2.8 times as likely to experience acute pulmonary embolism as outpatient control-patients and also more likely to experience a range of conditions affecting multiple body systems (eg, nonspecific chest pain, fatigue, headache, and respiratory, nervous, circulatory, and gastrointestinal symptoms) than outpatient control-patients.
Conclusions:
These findings add to the evidence of late health conditions possibly related to COVID-19 in adults following COVID-19 diagnosis and can inform healthcare practice and resource planning for follow-up COVID-19 care.
