Comparison of Complications after Coronavirus Disease and Seasonal Influenza, South Korea

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 347 - 353
• Main Authors: Lee, Hyejin, Sung, Ho Kyung, Lee, Dokyoung, Choi, Yeonmi, Lee, Ji Yoon, Lee, Jin Yong, Oh, Myoung-Don
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.02.2022; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adult; Age groups; Asthma; Chronic illnesses; Comparative analysis; Comparison of Complications after Coronavirus Disease and Seasonal Influenza, South Korea; Complications and side effects; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Dementia; Dementia disorders; Emotional disorders; Hair loss; Health insurance; Heart failure; Hospitalization; Humans; Illnesses; Influenza; Influenza, Human - complications; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Mood disorders; Patients; Pneumonia; Population; Recovery (Medical); Respiratory diseases; respiratory infections; Retrospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2; Seasons; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Statistics; viruses; South Korea; influenza; Sung HK; viruses; complications; Suggested citation for this article: Lee H; zoonoses; Lee JY; Lee D; respiratory infections; COVID-19; et al. Comparison of complications after coronavirus disease and seasonal influenza; SARS-CoV-2; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; South Korea. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Feb [date cited]. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2802.211848; Choi Y; coronavirus disease; long COVID
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2802.211848

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using claims data to determine the number and types of complications from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that patients experience and which patients are more vulnerable to those complications compared with complications in patients with influenza. Among the cohort, 19.6% of COVID-19 patients and 28.5% of influenza patients had >1 new complication. In most complications, COVID-19 patients had lower or similar relative risk compared with influenza patients; exceptions were hair loss, heart failure, mood disorder, and dementia. Young to middle-aged adult COVID-19 patients and patients in COVID-19 hotspots had a higher risk for complications. Overall, COVID-19 patients had fewer complications than influenza patients, but caution is necessary in high-risk groups. If the fatality rate for COVID-19 is reduced through vaccination, management strategies for this disease could be adapted, similar to those for influenza management, such as easing restrictions on economic activity or requirements for close-contact isolation.