Researchers from RTI International have found that US adults reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 may be at a significantly higher risk for long COVID compared to those with one-time infections. A study published on the preprint server medRxiv analyzed electronic health records of COVID-19 patients and found that reinfected individuals had a 35% greater risk of developing long COVID.
The researchers matched 424,616 reinfected and un-reinfected participants based on their vaccination status and hospital network affiliations. The study revealed that more recent vaccinations may lower the risk of long COVID following reinfections, with those vaccinated between first infection and index date facing lower risks than those only vaccinated prior to their first infection.
The findings showed a higher risk of long COVID among reinfected individuals compared to non-reinfected peers, with 12.1% cases occurring among reinfected participants and 8.7% cases among non-reinfected peers. The cumulative incidence of long COVID among reinfected and non-reinfected participants was 11.1% and 8.2%, respectively.
The researchers also discovered that the age group of patients played a significant role in determining the risk of long COVID, with younger groups facing lower risks than older groups. However, more research is needed to fully understand how vaccination affects the likelihood of reinfection leading to long COVID.
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-reinfection-may-raise-risk-persistent-symptoms-35