Frequency and factors associated with hospital readmission after COVID-19 hospitalization: the importance of post-COVID diarrhea
Maristela Pinheiro Freire, Maura Salaroli de Oliveira, Marcello Mihailenko Chaves Magri, Bruno de Melo Tavares, Igor Maia Marinho, Ana Catharina de Seixas Santos Nastri, Geraldo F. Busatto, Anna S. Levin
Abstract
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe the incidence and risk factors for hospital readmission and infection during the months after COVID-19 hospital admission. METHODS: This prospective study included adult patients who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and had been discharged from April 2020 to August 2020. All patients had a medical evaluation with a structured questionnaire 6 to 11 months after hospital admission. The authors included only patients with confirmed COVID-19 by RT-PCR. Patients with pregnant/postpartum women, with a proven COVID-19 reinfection or incapable of answering the questionnaire were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 822 patients completed the follow-up assessment, and 68% reported at least one recurrent symptom related to COVID-19. The most frequent symptom was myalgia (42%). Thirty-two percent of patients visited an emergency room after COVID-19 hospitalization, and 80 (10%) patients required re-hospitalization. Risk factors for hospital readmission were orotracheal intubation during COVID-19 hospitalization (p = 0.003, OR = 2.14), Charlson score (p = 0.002, OR = 1.21), congestive heart failure (p = 0.005, OR = 2.34), peripheral artery disease (p = 0.06, OR = 2.06) and persistent diarrhea after COVID-19 hospitalization discharge (p = 0.02, OR = 1.91). The main cause of hospital readmission was an infection, 43 (54%). Pneumonia was the most frequent infection (29%). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of symptoms after six months of COVID-19 diagnosis was frequent, and hospital readmission was relatively high.