Characteristics and pharmacological management of COVID-19 patients admitted at a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

COVID-19 is a novel viral disease with little known about its management. The Nairobi Hospital (TNH) has been involved in managing these patients. This study sought to describe the patients admitted in the hospital due to COVID-19, their management and outcomes. This was a retrospective review of COVID-19 patients admitted at TNH between March and October 2020. Demographic and clinical data, pharmacological management and outcomes of these patients was retrieved from the hospital electronic records, and analyzed. Results revealed that there were 326 study participants with a mean age (s.d.) of 47.1 (15.5) years, of whom 221(67.8%) were male. Those that were critically ill were 55(16.9%), while 186(57.1%) had mild/moderate disease. More than half of the participants had at least one co-morbidity, with hypertension and diabetes being predominant. Remdesivir was the commonest investigational drug and was administered to 39 patients. The patients were mainly managed with paracetamol (83.3%), ascorbic acid (79.8%), anticoagulants (64.4%), antihistamines and cough syrups (53.7%). Dexamethasone was the steroid of choice, having been used in 44% of the patients. Antibiotics were administered to 157 (48.4%) of the patients with Levofloxacin being the most prescribed. The mortality rate was 10% and was significantly associated with advanced age, having multiple comorbidities and severe illness. It was thus understood that management of COVID-19 inpatients at TNH was mainly supportive. There’s need to emphasize on prevention measures especially among the elderly and those with multiple comorbidities. Key words: COVID-19, Remdesivir, Investigational therapies.