In a new study, researchers found a clearer distinction between the flu virus and the COVID-19 virus:
Among hospitalized patients, COVID-19 was linked to an increased need for ventilators, more admissions into intensive care units (ICUs), longer hospital stays, and nearly five times the risk of death than faced by those with the flu.
And although both illnesses attack the lungs, the analysis showed COVID-19 also can damage other organs.
It revealed that COVID-19 was associated with a higher risk of complications such as acute kidney and liver damage, as well as heart disorders, stroke, severe septic shock, low blood pressure, excessive blood clotting and new-onset diabetes.
The research was conducted by a team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and elsewhere.
The U.S. is experiencing its highest surge in COVID-19 cases—and at the same time flu season typically begins.
For the study, the team analyzed de-identified medical records in a database maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation’s largest integrated health-care delivery system.
The researchers examined information involving 3,641 patients hospitalized in the U.S with COVID-19, as well as 12,676 patients hospitalized with the flu.
The average age of patients with either COVID-19 or the flu was 69.
The team found that among patients hospitalized for either COVID-19 or the flu, those infected with the novel coronavirus were nearly five times more likely to die than those with influenza.
Of the 12,676 patients with flu, 674 (5.3%) died, and of 3,641 patients with COVID-19, 676 (18.5%) died.
In addition, on average, the COVID-19 patients were four times more likely to require breathing machines and almost 2.5 times more likely to be treated in the ICU.
Also, COVID-19 patients were more likely to be hospitalized longer, an average of three extra days.
One of the biggest surprises was the finding of a higher risk of developing diabetes among COVID-19 patients than flu patients—nine more cases per 100 people.
The data analysis also showed that the COVID-19 patients most at risk for death were those 75 years old and older who also had chronic kidney disease or dementia, and African Americans who were considered medically obese, or who had diabetes or kidney disease.
The researchers also found that, when compared with the flu, COVID-19 was linked to a higher risk of acute kidney damage and severe sepsis shock—both at six more cases on average per 100 hospitalized patients.
Compared with flu patients, people with COVID-19 also required more medications to treat severely low blood pressure, a condition that can lead to organ damage and death—11.5 more people per 100 people.
The team says that it’s quite possible that a year or five years from now there could be COVID-19 complications that researchers haven’t considered.
Already, they are aware of the long-haulers, or people who get COVID-19 but never fully recover. They might feel an ongoing malaise or extreme fatigue or experience appetite changes.
Even for people who are fortunate to survive the acute COVID-19 illness, they may be forever scarred by the lasting impact of its long-term clinical complications.
The more scientists understand, the better they can benchmark health-care resources and treat patients.
One author of the study is Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University.
The study is published in The BMJ.
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