Repeated COVID-19: significantly increased risk of organ failure and death

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began three years ago, researchers have found that initial infection can lead to short- and long-term health risks, affecting nearly every organ system
in the body.
They also learned that people may get COVID-19 a second or third time despite having acquired natural antibodies after the first infection, and even even if they have been vaccinated against COVID-19
and a booster shot.

Now, a new study sheds light on the health consequences of
reinfection.
The findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 superinfection leads to a substantial increased
risk of adverse health conditions across multiple organ systems.

These consequences include diseases affecting the heart, lungs, brain and body blood, musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal systems; hospitalization; Even death
.
Reinfection can also lead to diabetes, kidney disease, and mental health problems
.

The findings from researchers at Washington University's St.
Louis School of Medicine and the St.
Louis Health Care System for Veterans Affairs were published Nov.
10 in the journal Nature Medicine
.

Ziyad Al-Aly, M.
D.
, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St.
Louis and the St.
Louis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, examined data
from a new study.
Researchers led by Al-Aly found that repeated infections with SARS-CoV-2 added significant additional risks
to poor health in multiple organ systems.

"Over the past few months, there has been an atmosphere of invincibility among people who have had COVID-19 or who have been vaccinated and boosters, especially those who have been infected and vaccinated; Some people are starting to call these people some sort of superimmunity to the virus," said
senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, a clinical epidemiologist and senior author at Washington University School of Medicine in St.
Louis.
"There is no doubt that our research shows that second, third or fourth infections add additional health risks
during the acute phase (i.
e.
the first 30 days after infection) and in the months after that (i.
e.
the lengthy COVID phase).
"

In addition, the study shows that the risk appears to increase
with each infection.
"This means that even if you have already had COVID-19 twice, it is best to avoid a third infection
," Al-Ali said.
"If you've been infected three times, it's best to avoid the fourth
.
"

Al-Ali said it is especially important to limit contact with the virus as the United States enters winter, as new variants are emerging, mutating and already causing a rise
in infections in some parts of the country.
"People should do their best to prevent repeat infections by covering up, for example, getting all eligible boosters and staying home
when sick.
In addition, get a flu vaccine to prevent illness
.
We really need to do our best to reduce the possibility of
a dual COVID and flu epidemic this winter.
”

For the study, researchers analyzed about 5.
8 million unidentified medical records
in a database maintained by the U.
S.
Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest integrated health care system
in the United States.
Patients vary
in age, ethnicity, and sex.

The researchers created a control dataset that included 5.
3 million people
who did not test positive for COVID-19 infection between March 1, 2020 and April 6, 2022.
In the same time frame, the researchers also collected a group of more than 443,000 controls who tested positive for coronavirus infection, and another group of nearly 41,000 people
with records of two or more infections.
In the latter group, most people were infected two or three times, a few were infected four times, and no one was infected five or more
times.

Statistical models were used to examine the health risks
of repeated COVID-19 infection within the first 30 days of infection and within the next 6 months.

The study considered COVID-19 variants
such as delta, omicron, and BA.
5.
A negative result occurs between
unvaccinated people and people who were vaccinated before becoming reinfected.

According to the findings, overall, people with COVID-19 who are reinfected are twice as likely to die and hospitalized three times more likely than those who were not reinfected
.

In addition, people with repeated infections were 3.
5 times more likely to have lung problems, 3 times more likely to develop heart problems, and 1.
6 times
more likely to develop brain problems compared to patients who were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus once.

"Our findings have broad public health implications because they tell us that strategies
to prevent or reduce the risk of reinfection should be implemented," Al-Ali said.
Heading into winter, people should be aware of the risks, be vigilant and reduce the risk of contracting or re-contracting the
new coronavirus.
”

References: "Acute and acute sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection," by Benjamin Bowe, Yan Xie and Ziyad Al-Aly, Nature Medicine, November 10
, 2022.
DOI: 10.
1038 / s41591 - 022 - 02051 - 3

The study was funded by the U.
S.
Department of Veterans Affairs; American Academy of Nephrology; and Kidney Cure
.
The data supporting the study's findings came from the U.
S.
Department of Veterans Affairs
.
Through the VA research protocol, VA data
is freely available to researchers behind the VA firewall.