longer-term mortality in discharged patients with dementia and SARS-CoV-2 infection
What is it about?
After surviving COVID-19, many people continue to experience physical, neuropsychiatric, and cognitive symptoms. Cognitive symptoms, like trouble thinking or remembering things, may last longer than other symptoms, especially for those with dementia. Unfortunately, the risk of death doesn't end with the acute phase of infection. Even up to a year later, people who have had COVID-19 are at a higher risk of dying, possibly due to ongoing inflammation or blood clotting issues. Dementia is a risk factor for dying during the acute phase of infection, but we don't yet know if it also increases the risk of dying in the longer term. Using information from the UK National Health Service, we want to find out if people with dementia who survived COVID-19 are at a higher risk of dying after the acute phase, how long that higher risk lasts, and what factors might be associated with that risk.
Why is it important?
Finding out what things increase the risk of a health problem can be really useful for doctors and other healthcare providers. By knowing who is most at risk, they can give extra special care to those people and hopefully help prevent the health problem from getting worse.