Comparative risk of post-acute sequelae following SARS-CoV-2 or influenza virus infection: A retrospective cohort study among United States adults
In this large, real-world cohort, individuals with non-severe acute respiratory illness caused by SARS-CoV-2 experienced only modestly greater risk of PAS in comparison to those whose illness was caused by influenza. However, COVID-19 cases hospitalized for their initial illness experienced greater risk of severe PAS necessitating inpatient care, and this difference persisted through 180 days of follow-up. Our findings challenge assumptions about the uniqueness of post-acute COVID-19 morbidity and suggest the long-term burden of influenza may be underrecognized.
Authors
- Bradley K. Ackerson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0816-7345)
- Iris Reyes
- Sharon Saydah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6350-5300)
- Lina S. Sy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2762-9266)
- Rulin C. Hechter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8684-6506)
- Vennis Hong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6060-8419)
- Sara Y. Tartof (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2336-8476)
- Leora R. Feldstein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4430-6760)
- Deborah E. Malden (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0567-8294)
- Joseph A. Lewnard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5417-8475)
- Jessica Skela
Institutions
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
- Kaiser Permanente (US)
- The Centers (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PLoS Medicine
- Published
- 2025-10-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004777
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.78