Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients at Eka Kotebe General Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Data from much of Africa are still scarce on the clinical characteristics, outcomes of treatment, and factors associated with disease severity and mortality of COVID-19. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Eka Kotebe General Hospital, Ethiopia’s first COVID-19 treatment center. All consecutive symptomatic SARS CoV-2 RT-PCR positive individuals, aged 18 and older, admitted to the hospital between March 13 and September 16, 2020, were included. Of the total 463 cases, 319 (68.9%) were male. The median age was 45 years (interquartile range 32–62). The most common three symptoms were cough (69%), shortness of breath (SOB; 44%), and fatigue (37%). Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity, followed by diabetes mellitus. The age groups 40 to 59 and ≥ 60 were more likely to have severe disease compared with those < 40 years of age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.88–6.31 and aOR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.91–6.90, respectively). Other factors associated with disease severity included the presence of any malignancy (aOR = 4.64, 95% CI: 1.32–16.33) and SOB (aOR = 3.83, 95% CI: 2.35–6.25). The age group ≥ 60 was significantly associated with greater in-hospital mortality compared with those < 40 years. In addition, the presence of any malignancy, SOB, and vomiting were associated with higher odds of mortality. In Ethiopia, most COVID-19 patients were male and presented with cough, SOB, and fatigue. Older age, any malignancy, and SOB were associated with disease severity; these factors, in addition to vomiting, also predicted mortality.

Factors Associated with COVID-19 Severity Among Kidney Transplant and Non-Kidney Transplant Patients at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“…A study conducted in our country also supported the finding that age is significantly associated with COVID-19 severity. 23 Our findings indicate that the clinical symptoms and severity of COVID-19 are significantly associated with the disease. Patients with symptoms of chest congestion, shortness of breath, a changed or lost sense of taste or smell, and muscle pain were more likely to develop severe COVID-19 than those without.…”

Impact of COVID-19 on diabetes mellitus outcomes and care in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

“…As shown in Table 2, mortality, hospitalisation, severity, and complications were the major outcomes related to COVID-19 in DM. The proportions of COVID-19-attributed mortality [17,19,24,28,29,32,33,42,46,47], hospitalisation [27], and severity [20,30,39,46] for PLWD were noticeable to high across the studies. The major predictors of COVID-19-related mortality and hospitalisation in PLWD were age, gender, DM treatment, and glycaemic control.…”

Diabetes mellitus in sub-saharan Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

“…The proportion of COVID-19 deaths in PWDM [ 17 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 23 , 31 , 37 , 38 , 45 , 51 ] ranged from 5.3% [ 21 ] to 66% [ 38 ], with new-onset DM reported to account for 19% of these deaths [ 45 ]. The odds of PWDM dying of COVID-19 [ 11 , 12 , 16 , 27 , 40 , 45 – 47 , 51 ] ranged from 1.31 (adjusted Relative Risk 95% CI: 0.77, 2.23) [ 40 ] to 9.0 (adjusted OR 95% CI:1.73, 47.07) [ 27 ].…”

“…The proportion of COVID-19 severity recorded in PWDM [ 19 , 28 , 37 , 47 ] ranged from 16.1% [ 28 ] to 33.1% [ 37 ]. The odds associated with COVID-19 severity in PWDM ranged from 1.30 (adjusted OR 95% CI: 1.2, 1.5) [ 34 ] to 4.05 (OR 95% CI: 1.12, 14.15) [ 49 ].…”