Clinical Characteristics Predicting Mortality Risk in Hospitalized Geriatric Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia: a Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Geriatric patients with COVID-19 are more likely to progress to severe disease, and they are at increased risk of hospitalization and mortality. In this study we aimed to investigate the risk factors for predicting mortality in geriatric patients with COVID 19 by reviewing the clinical data of survivors and non-survivors. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 189 geriatric patients with COVID- 19 pneumonia who were hospitalized in pulmonology clinic, in Duzce University, Medical Faculty Hospital between March 2020 and January 2021 in Turkey. RESULTS: In the study, 60.3% (n = 114) of the patients were male and the median age was 75. 80.4% (n = 152) of the patients were discharged. The presence of cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure, malignancy, increased number of comorbidities, complaints of anorexia, no fever, decreased oxygen saturation value, increased pulse rate, high values of maximum (max) D-dimer, aspartate aminotransferase, urea, creatinine, troponin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), max LDH, ferritin and max ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP), max CRP, procalcitonin, max procalcitonin, potassium values and low albumin values, complications as bacterial infection, cardiac disease, acute respiratory distress syndrome, liver function tests failure, arrhythmia and shock, the need for corticosteroid and pulse corticosteroid therapy increased the mortality. According to multiple logistic regression model, the de-velopment of cardiac disease, acute respiratory distress syndrome, bacterial infection, the need for pulse steroids, and the max ferritin value increased the risk of mortality by between 1.001 and 28.715 times. CONCLUSIONS: Both clinical and laboratory parameters predicting mortality in geriatric patients with COVID-19 pneumonia should be monitored very carefully. Complications that develop should be evaluated and multidisciplinary and necessary treatments should be initiated without delay.

Duzce COVID 19 PCR Tests are Worked How, Where and Under Which Conditions?

Shortly after the first cases were reported in late 2019 in Wuhan Province of China, SARS CoV 2 spread all over the world and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 12, 2020. In Turkey the first case was in March 10, 2020 and March 25, 2020 in Duzce. Duzce University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, PCR laboratory was declared to be "T.C. Ministry of Health Duzce authorized Covid 19 PCR laboratory " in 28.03.2020. Samples are sent to our laboratory from all provincial and district hospitals, private hospitals and public health institutions in Duzce. This is the only Covid 19 center in our city and it works for 7 days a week. In our laboratory, Covid 19 antibody tests are carried out with card tests and ELISA methods. A total of 8500 COVID 19 PCR tests and 2200 anti Covid 19 ELISA total antibody tests were studied in our laboratory within three months Although covid 19 patients are not followed in our hospital, pandemic process continues in our laboratory. In addition, all PCR studies and IFA studies of the hospital are carried out in this laboratory.