Repeated infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus can increase the risk of organ damage and death, according to a study that advises people to practice vigilance to lower their bodies. possibility of re-infection,
Research published Thursday in the journal Nature Medicine found that recurrent COVID-19 infections contribute to a significant additional risk of adverse health conditions in multiple organ systems.
Such consequences include hospitalization; disorders affecting the lungs, heart, brain, and blood, musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal systems of the body; and even death, the researchers said.
re-infection Diabetes also contributes to kidney disease and mental health issues, he said.
“During the past few months, there has been an air of invincibility among people who have had COVID-19 or their vaccinations and boosters, and especially among those who have had the infection and have also received vaccines; Some people began to refer to these individuals as a type of superimmunity to the virus,” said senior study author Ziad Al-Aly from Washington University School of Medicine, US.
“Without ambiguity, our research has shown that having a second, third or fourth infection contributes to additional health risks in the acute phase, meaning the first 30 days after infection, and in the months ahead, meaning There is a long COVID phase,” said al-Ali. The study also indicated that the risk seemed to increase with each infection.
“This means that even if you have had two COVID-19 infections, it is better to avoid a third. And if you’ve had three infections, it’s best to avoid the fourth one,” said Al-Ali.
limit contact with virus This is especially important in some parts of the world as new forms emerge, mutate, and infections are already on the rise.
“People should do their best to prevent recurrent infections by wearing masks, for example, getting all their eligible boosters, staying home when sick. Also, get a flu shot to prevent illness,” Al-Aly said.
“We really need to do our best to reduce the likelihood that we will have a twin-monster of both COVID-19 and the flu this winter,” he said.
The study accounts for COVID-19 variants such as Delta, Omicron and BA.5. (Source: Nirmal Harindran)
Researchers analyzed nearly 5.8 million de-identified medical records in a database maintained by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation’s largest integrated health care system. Patients represented many ages, races and genders. They created a controlled data set of 5.3 million people who did not test positive for COVID-19 infection from March 1, 2020 to April 6, 2022.
The researchers also compiled a control group of more than 443,000 people who had tested positive for one COVID-19 infection, and another group of about 41,000 people who had two or more documented infections.
In the latter group, most people had two or three infections, with a small number having four infections and none with five or more infections, the researchers said. He said statistical modeling was used to examine the health risks of repeat COVID-19 infections within the first 30 days after contracting the virus and up to six months later.
The study accounts for COVID-19 variants such as Delta, Omicron and BA.5. Negative results occurred in people who had received the shots prior to reinfection, as well as in non-vaccinated people.
Overall, the researchers found that people with COVID-19 re-infection were twice as likely to die and three times more likely to be hospitalized than those without reinfection.
In addition, people with repeated infections were three and a half times more likely to develop lung problems, three times more likely to suffer from a heart condition and experience a brain condition than patients infected with the virus once. 1.6 times more likely to occur. They said.
“Our findings have broad public health implications because they tell us that strategies should be implemented to prevent or reduce the risk of reinfection,” Al-Aly said.
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