Mortality Patterns among COVID-19 Patients in Two Saudi Hospitals: Demographics, Etiology, and Treatment (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Background: Saudi Arabia (SA) reported its first case of COVID-19 on 2 March 2020. Mortality varied nationwide by 14 April 2020 Medina had 16% of SA’s total COVID-19 cases and 40% of all COVID-19 deaths. A team of epidemiologists investigated to identify factors impacting survival. Methods: We reviewed medical records from two hospitals Hospital A in Medina and Hospital B in Dammam. All patients with a registered COVID-related death between 1 March -22 April 2020 were included. We collected data on demographics, chronic health conditions, clinical presentation and treatment. We analysed data using SPSS. Results: We identified 76 cases 38 cases from each hospital. More fatalities were among non-Saudis at Hospital A (89%) versus Hospital B (82%, p<.001). Hypertension prevalence was higher among cases at Hospital A (42%) versus Hospital B (21%) (p<.05). We found statistically significant differences (p<.05) in symptoms at initial presentation among cases at Hospital A versus Hospital B, including body temperature (38º C vs 37º C), heart rate (104 bpm vs 89 bpm), and regular breathing rhythms (61% vs 55%). Less cases (50%) at Hospital A received heparin versus Hospital B (97%, p-value< 0.001). Conclusion: Patients who died at Hospital A typically presented with more severe illness and were more likely to have underlying health conditions. Migrant workers may be at increased risk due to poorer baseline health and reluctance to seek care. This highlights the importance of cross-cultural outreach to prevent deaths. Health education efforts should be multilingual and accommodate all literacy levels.