Clinical frailty score as an independent predictor of outcome in COVID-19 hospitalised patients.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: We explored potential predictive variables associated with outcomes using baseline clinical parameters of 500 hospitalised patients with COVID -19 in a single centre, UK. METHODS: Retrospective study collecting demographic and clinical characteristics of patients admitted at Southend University Hospital from 20th February to 7th May 2020. RESULTS: The mean age of the cohort admitted to hospital with Covid-19 was 69.4 and 58% were over 70. Comorbidities were more frequently observed in non-survivors, whose mean Clinical Frailty Scale was significantly higher (5 vs 3) than survivors, p < 0.001. In addition, mean C-reactive protein was significantly higher. CONCLUSION: Older and frailer patients with high inflammatory markers were at risk of poor outcomes. Integrated frailty and age-based risk stratification is essential, in addition to monitoring saturation /FiO2 ratio (SFR) and inflammatory markers throughout the disease course to allow for early intervention to improve patient outcomes. A frailty-based risk-stratification approach, rather than age may prove more valuable when considering interventions in patients with multiple comorbidities.

Anything rare is possible here: Brucellosis in London in 2012.

Brucellosis is a rare zoonotic disease in the UK but endemic in parts of the world, including the Mediterranean region, South and Central America, Caribbean, Africa and Persian Gulf. Therefore, the most common routes of transmission to the UK are either through emigration or by vacationing in such endemic regions. This provides us the challenge even today, especially in the extensive multi-ethnic area of East London, in recognising the signs and symptoms of the rare disease of Brucellosis. Here, we report such a patient case of Brucellosis.