Half COVID hospitalized adults in U.S. have lingering symptoms months after being discharged: study

Medical workers carry a patient into a hospital in New York, the United States, Dec. 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

In the study that included 825 adults discharged from 44 hospitals in the United States, 75.4 percent of the patients experienced cardiopulmonary problems at six months, such as coughing, rapid or irregular heartbeat, and breathlessness.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- About half of adults treated at hospitals for COVID-19 have experienced lingering symptoms, financial difficulties, or physical limitations months after being discharged, according to a new study published on Tuesday.

In the study that included 825 adults discharged from 44 hospitals in the United States, 75.4 percent of the patients experienced cardiopulmonary problems at six months, such as coughing, rapid or irregular heartbeat, and breathlessness.

Additionally, more than half of the adults said they faced financial challenges, according to the study published in JAMA Network Open.

"These findings will inform programs designed to help adults recover from severe cases of COVID and guide how physicians should check in with patients in the year following hospitalization," said James P. Kiley, director of the Division of Lung Diseases at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

"They may also help shape future clinical research studies," Kiley said.