International Journal of General Medicine (Sep 2021)

Factors Associated with Mortality Among Hospitalized Adults with COVID-19 Pneumonia at a Private Tertiary Hospital in Tanzania: A Retrospective Cohort Study

  • Kassam N,
  • Aghan E,
  • Aziz O,
  • Mbithe H,
  • Hameed K,
  • Shah R,
  • Surani S,
  • Orwa J,
  • Somji S

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 5431 – 5440

Abstract

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Nadeem Kassam,1 Eric Aghan,2 Omar Aziz,1 Hanifa Mbithe,1 Kamran Hameed,1 Reena Shah,3 Salim Surani,4 James Orwa,5 Samina Somji1 1Internal Medicine, The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania & Aga Khan University, Medical College, Dar-es- Salaam, Tanzania; 2Family Medicine, The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania & Aga Khan University, Medical College, East Africa, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; 3Infectious Disease & Internal Medicine, The Aga Khan University, Medical College, Nairobi, Kenya; 4Pulmonology & Internal Medicine, Texas a&m University, Texas A&M College Station, TX, USA; 5Population Health, Aga Khan University, Medical College, East Africa, Nairobi, KenyaCorrespondence: Nadeem Kassam Email [email protected]: The emergence of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused millions of deaths worldwide. There has been paucity of data for hospitalized African patients suffering from COVID-19. This study aimed to identify factors associated with in-hospital mortality in patients suffering from COVID-19 in Tanzania.Methods: This was a single center, retrospective, observational cohort study in adult patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 infection. Demographics, clinical pattern, laboratory and radiological investigations associated with increased odds of mortality were analyzed.Results: Of the 157 patients, 107 (68.1%) patients survived and 50 (31.8%) died. Mortality was highest in patients suffering with severe (26%) and critical (68%) forms of the disease. The median age of the cohort was 52 years (IQR 42– 61), majority of patients were male (86%) and of African origin (46%), who presented with fever (69%), cough (62%) and difficulty in breathing (43%). Factors that were associated with mortality among our cohort were advanced age (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.03– 1.11), being overweight and obese (OR 9.44, 95% CI 2.71– 41.0), suffering with severe form of the disease (OR 4.77, 95% CI 1.18– 25.0) and being admitted to the HDU and ICU (OR 6.68, 95% CI 2.06– 24.6).Conclusion: The overall in-hospital mortality was 31.8%. Older age, obesity, the severe form of the disease and admission to the ICU and HDU were major risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality.Keywords: COVID-19, factors, hospital, mortality, Tanzania

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