Analysis of potential risk factors associated with COVID-19 and hospitalization

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was found to cause complications in certain groups of people, leading to hospitalization. Several factors have been linked to this, such as gender, age, comorbidity, and race. Understanding the precise reasons for the COVID-19-induced complications might help in designing strategies to minimize hospitalization. A retrospective, cross-sectional observational study was conducted for patients in a COVID-19-designated specialty hospital after obtaining ethical clearance. Patients' demographic and clinical characteristics, such as age, gender, race, vaccinated status, complications, comorbidities, and medications, were retrieved from the hospital medical database. The data were statistically analyzed to determine the association between the predictors and the outcomes of COVID-19. An odds ratio (both unadjusted and adjusted) analysis was carried out to determine the risk factors for hospitalization [non-intensive care (non-ICU) and intensive care (ICU)] due to COVID-19. The data from the study indicated that the majority of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 were male (>55%), aged > 60 years (>40%), married (>80%), and unvaccinated (>71%). The common symptoms, complications, comorbidities, and medications were fever, pneumonia, hypertension, and prednisolone, respectively. Male gender, patients older than 60 years, unemployed, unvaccinated, complicated, and comorbid patients had an odds ratio of more than 2 and were found to be significantly (p < 0.05) higher in ICU admission. In addition, administration of prednisolone and remdesivir was found to significantly reduce (p < 0.05) the odds ratio in ICU patients. The analysis of the data suggested that male gender, age above 60 years, and unvaccinated with comorbidities increased the complications and resulted in hospitalization, including ICU admission. Hypertension and type 2 diabetes associated with obesity as metabolic syndrome could be considered one of the major risk factors. Preventive strategies need to be directed toward these risk factors to reduce the complications, as well as hospitalization to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19: is clinical severity more important than the intervention?

“…This is a retrospective study with two groups of patients that received CCP: Group A, formed by patients that received compassionate CCP, from January to May 2021, n = 94, and Group B formed by patients from a previous clinical study, from March to October 2020, n = 47. Most of the participants were male, with mean age above 60 years and with comorbidities, a population under higher risk of hospitalization and ICU admission [14]. Group B was different from group A in that group B had a higher percentage of patients in ICU on the day of transfusion and a higher WHO ordinal scale on Day 0, suggesting more severity.…”

Association of Serum Potassium Variability With 60-day Mortality and Cardiovascular Events after COVID-19 Infection in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

“…Retrospective studies from China have found that the mortality rate of critically ill COVID-19 patients can reach 38-62% 14 , 15 . Previous studies have shown that factors such as male, older age, comorbidities, medical history, white blood cell count, serum creatinine, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate increase the hospitalization and mortality rates of COVID-19 patients 16 - 20 . However, the risk factors for mortality and CVD in MHD patients after COVID-19 infection require further investigation.…”

COVID-19 vaccination for children with pulmonary hypertension: efficacy, safety and reasons for opting against vaccination

“…Although the prevalence of COVID-19 can be reduced, COVID-19 vaccination in PH children does not reduce the severity, number and distribution of symptoms in COVID-19 disease. Several studies have explored factors influencing the severity of COVID-19 disease ( 2 , 23 , 24 ). The most important influencing factor is the presence of severe comorbidities.…”