Individuals with multiple long-term conditions are two and a half times more likely to die following COVID-19 infection than others. When children were assessed separately the risk for mortality among those with multiple long-term conditions increased to almost three times (2.8) the risk of those without.
The mortality rates are 22% and 8% respectively. That is according to an authoritative systematic review and meta-analysis of over four million patients with COVID-19 published today (Thursday 17 October) in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine . The authors are calling for patients with multiple long-term conditions to be prioritized in healthcare policies.
This systematic review is believed to have considered the largest ever cohort of patients with COVID-19 in a study investigating the impact of multiple long-term conditions. The review synthesized evidence from 111 observational studies of patients with confirmed COVID-19 published between January 2020 and May 2023. These studies were conducted across 51 countries and most involved high risk or hospitalized patient cohorts with COVID-19, which could account for the high rates of mortality found in the study.
This major study thus provides an updated picture of the impact of COVID-19 for people with multiple long-term conditions. While previous research has identified risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease - such as older age, male sex, socioeconomic deprivation, being from an ethnic minority background and havi.
