CLINICAL FINDINGS AND PROGNOSIS OF HOSPITALIZED ELDERLY COVID-19 PATIENTS

ABSTRACT

Background: SARS-CoV-2 has caused an outbreak all over the World. Age is the most important factor for mortality. However, it is not known exactly why SARS-CoV-2 infections are more severe and fatal in the elderly population. We examined the clinical course and the causes of increasing mortality in all hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19 over 65 years of age. Methods: Hospitalized elderly patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were examined in this retrospective observational study. The blood results, length of stay, comorbid diseases, admission symptoms, clinical results and demographic data of the patients were recorded. It was examined whether there was a significant difference between surviving and non-surviving patients in terms of comorbid diseases and symptoms. The effects of these parameters on the 30-day mortality alone were investigated. Results: A total of 263 patients (125 males) were included in the study. Cough (53.2%) followed by dyspnea (35.7%) were the two most common symptoms. There was no statistically significant difference age or sex distribution between survivor and nonsurvivor patients. Patients with dyspnea had a significantly lower survival rate compared to patients who did not have dyspnea at presentation and patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cerebrovascular disease were associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality Conclusions: It has been shown that there is a significant increase in the risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cerebrovascular diseases. Additionally, Dyspnea, as an admission symptom, were found to have an effect on mortality and clinical outcomes in our study.