Clinical features and short-term outcomes of elderly patients with COVID-19

• Main Authors: Ping Li, Lulu Chen, Zheming Liu, Jinghui Pan, Dingyi Zhou, Hui Wang, Hongyun Gong, Zhenmin Fu, Qibin Song, Qian Min, Shasha Ruan, Tangpeng Xu, Fan Cheng, Xiangpan Li
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-08-01
• Series: International Journal of Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Elderly; Clinical features; Short-term outcomes
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197122030415X
• ISSN: 1201-9712

Background: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global public health emergency. Methods: 204 elderly patients (≥60 years old) diagnosed with COVID-19 in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 31st to February 20th, 2020 were included in this study. Clinical endpoint was in-hospital death. Results: Of the 204 patients, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were the most common coexisting conditions. 76 patients died in the hospital. Multivariate analysis showed that dyspnea (hazards ratio (HR) 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.414–3.517; p < 0.001), older age (HR 1.1, 95% CI 1.070–1.123; p < 0.001), neutrophilia (HR 4.4, 95% CI 1.310–15.061; p = 0.017) and elevated ultrasensitive cardiac troponin I (HR 3.9, 95% CI 1.471–10.433; p = 0.006) were independently associated with death. Conclusion: Although so far the overall mortality of COVID-19 is relatively low, the mortality of elderly patients is much higher. Early diagnosis and supportive care are of great importance for the elderly patients of COVID-19.