Risk factors for mortality in elderly COVID-19 patients

Abstract

Background: Advancing age and multimorbidity are well-established risk factors for the incidence and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Aims: To describe the clinical profile of hospitalized elderly patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and to assess the risk factors for mortality. Methodology: Data on 465 consecutive patients aged 60 years and above admitted with COVID-19 at St John's Medical College Hospital, Bangalore, were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: A total of 465 patients were included for the analysis. The overall mean age of the study group was 67 ± 4 years with 315 (67.9%) male patients. Eighty-one patients had mild, 117 had moderate, and 267 had severe COVID-19. After adjusting for age, gender, glycemic status, and COVID severity in the multivariate logistic regression analysis, elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.93 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–3.29), end stage renal disease (aOR 3.49, 95% CI 1.34–9.06), acute kidney injury (aOR 3.25, 95% CI 1.94–5.41), shock (aOR 13.53 95% CI 6.35–28.82), mechanical ventilation (aOR 8.53, 95% CI 4.85–15.00), and intensive care unit care (aOR 14.5 95% CI 7.42–28.38) were the independent predictors of mortality. Conclusion: COVID-19 is characterized by poor outcomes and mortality, especially among older patients who have multiple comorbid illness.

Keywords

• coronavirus disease 19
• elderly
• mortality
• risk factors