ABSTRACT
Aim: The late elderly, are the leading group of non-survivors infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Computed tomography (CT) imaging has been recognized as an important diagnostic method for COVID-19. This study aimed to determine the prognostic performance of CT imaging in patients above 75 years old. Material and Methods: After meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria 56 elderly patients, 28 male, and 28 female were included in the study. Two radiologists interpreted CT imaging and a third experienced radiologist was in charge of reviewing the data and imaging findings in the controversial and disagreement cases. The lung score was determined for each patient, and radiologic signs were also examined. Results: The mean age of the patients was 81.4±5.0 years. Thirty-six patients survived, and 20 did not. 28 (50.0%) patients had central involvement, while 25 (44.6%) patients had diffuse involvement. Radiologic signs such as consolidation and air bronchogram were more common among non-survivors than survivors (both p=0.001). The mean lung score for the survivors was 8.75±6.21 and 13.45±6.41 for non-survivors, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p=0.010). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for a cut-off score of 12 was 0.714 (95% CI, 0.577 to 0.827, p=0.003). Conclusion: It seems that using lung scores can play a very important role in predicting the condition of hospitalized patients over 75 years old.
ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected millions and caused tens of thousands of casualties. Epidemiologic studies show that specific individuals with pre-existing conditions are prone to severe disease caused by the virus. Thus, it is necessary to determine clinical signs and symptoms and disease progression course in various pre-existing conditions, namely end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods: The present retrospective study was conducted on 17 ESRD patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. Clinical signs and symptoms were extracted, and laboratory test results and imaging findings were retrieved using the health information systems of the institute where the study was performed. Results: Of 17 patients in the study, six patients were females, and 11 were males. The mean age of the patients was 62.29 ± 15.6 years (22-82). The most common pre-existing conditions were hypertension and diabetes. The most common imaging signs were ground-glass opacities. The most common pattern of involvement was peripheral, bilateral, and multifocal involvement, and interestingly, uncommon imaging signs such as crazy-paving, peribronchovascular involvement, and reticulonodular pattern of involvement. The most common laboratory findings were lymphopenia, lymphocytosis, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and positive C reactive protein. Conclusions: ESRD patients undergoing COVID-19 seem to have higher mortalities than the general public and show more significant lung involvement on chest CT imaging. Furthermore, uncommon imaging signs are more common in this group of patients.