ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2025
Post-Discharge COVID-19 Symptoms Predict 1-Year Functional Decline, Falls, and Emergency Department Visits: A Cohort Study.
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Two Brief Steps, Better Foresight: Cognitive Screening and Adverse Outcomes in Older Adults Admitted From the Emergency Department.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on outpatient follow-up among people living with HIV retained in care at a University Center in Brazil.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- Bedside cognitive screening to detect dementia and predict poor outcomes in hospitals.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Transitions in Functional Status and Frailty Among Post-Hospitalized COVID-19 Oldest-Old Adults: An 18-Month Follow-Up Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHospitalization frequently results in persistent symptoms among older adults, raising concerns about the long-term impacts of acute events-a problem amplified by COVID-19. We investigated the effects of persistent symptoms on functional decline and unplanned events over 1 year in older patients recovering from COVID-19 hospitalization.
methodsThis prospective cohort included patients aged ≥ 50 years who survived COVID-19 hospitalization between March and December 2020 as part of the CO-FRAIL study at Brazil's largest academic medical center. Persistent symptoms were defined as those reported at admission and continuously present at one-, three-, six-, nine-, and 12-month post-discharge, covering 16 symptoms. Outcomes included functional decline in basic activities of daily living (ADL), mobility activities, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), number of falls, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospital readmissions. Associations between persistent symptoms and outcomes were examined using mixed-effects negative binomial regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, clinical, hospitalization-related factors, and post-discharge rehabilitation.
resultsAmong 1019 patients (mean age = 65 ± 10 years; women = 45%; White = 62%), 324 (32%) experienced persistent symptoms throughout the year. Fatigue (28%), myalgia (19%), and dyspnea (13%) were the most common. Patients with ≥ 2 symptoms had an increased risk of functional decline in mobility activities (IRR = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.50-2.96), IADL (IRR = 2.00; 95% CI = 1.44-2.79), falls (IRR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.14-5.75), and ED visits (IRR = 2.69; 95% CI = 1.27-5.70), but not readmissions. Among women, ≥ 1 persistent symptom was associated with a twofold increased risk of ADL decline. One year after discharge, patients with ≥ 2 persistent symptoms developed 1.27 more new disabilities (3.26 vs. 1.99 on a 15-point functional scale) and had 31 more unplanned events per 100 person-years (54.3 vs. 23.2) than those without symptoms.
conclusionsPersistent symptoms after hospitalization are common and contribute to functional decline, falls, and ED visits in older COVID-19 survivors. These findings suggest that greater attention to symptom burden may support risk identification and improve post-discharge care planning.
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