Comparison of Clinical Manifestation and Mortality-Related Risk Factors Between Elderly and Middle-Aged COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

Given that the risk factors associated with mortality and morbidity of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) vary among age groups, this study aimed to describe the differences in clinical characteristics and mortality-related risk factors between elderly and middle-aged COVID-19 patients. A total of 1061 patients were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patients’ radiology reports and laboratory data were extracted from the available data on the Hospital Information System (HIS), and clinical findings were added in special forms. We followed up cases until death or discharge to evaluate patients’ outcomes. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (95% CI, HR 2.73 (0.97-6.62)), need for antibiotics (95% CI, HR 2.26 (1.20-4.26)), and diabetes (95% CI, HR 1.77 (0.97-3.24)) were associated with a higher risk of mortality among middle-aged COVID-19 patients; while, age (95% CI, HR 1.04 (1.01-1.06)) was associated with increased mortality rate in elderly patients. We found that the need for antibiotics was associated with a worse outcome of COVID-19. Additionally, we described the differences between elderly and middle-aged COVID-19 patients regarding their comorbidities, laboratory findings, and clinical manifestation.