Effects of Comorbid Factors on Prognosis of Three Different Geriatric Groups with COVID-19 Diagnosis.

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new zoonotic infectious disease that was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019, and declared as a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. Due to the increased incidence of multimorbidity in geriatric age groups, COVID-19 disease leads to more severe consequences in the elderly. We aimed to determine the effects of age, comorbidity factors, symptoms, laboratory findings, and radiological results on prognosis by dividing our patients into 3 different geriatric age groups, using a retrospective descriptive analysis method. Patients included in the retrospective study (n = 483) were divided into the following three different geriatric age groups young-old (65-74 years), middle-aged (75-84 years), and the oldest-elderly (85 years and over).The length of stay in the intensive care unit of the patients between the ages of 75-84 was higher than the other two groups (p = 0.013). Mortality rates were lowest in patients aged 65-74 years (p < 0.001). The rate of ground glass opacity in thorax CT was higher in patients with mortality (p < 0.001). While the rate of COPD-bronchial asthma was higher in surviving patients (p = 0.001), malignancy (p = 0.005) and cerebrovascular disease (p < 0.001) were higher in patients who died. Patients aged between 75 and 84 (OR 2.602; 95% CI 1.306-5.183; p = 0.007) or ≥ 85 (OR 4.086; 95% CI 1.687-9.9; p = 0.002) had higher risk for mortality compared to patients aged between 65 and 74. The lowest mortality rates were observed in patients aged 65-74 years. Among the supportive diagnostic methods in 3 different geriatric age groups, PCR positivity has no effect on mortality, while the ground glass opacity on tomography is closely related to the need for intensive care and increased mortality. In patients with COPD-bronchial asthma comorbidity and those with symptoms of fatigue, dry cough, and sore throat, transfer to intensive care and mortality rates were lower, while patients who were transferred to intensive care and who developed mortality had higher malignancy and cerebrovascular disease comorbidities and dyspnea symptoms.