COVID-19 hospital patients are at greater risk of dying if they are male or obese or have problems with diabetes or hip tolerance, according to a new study by researchers. research University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). In a study published in the journal Clinical infectious diseases, the researchers evaluated nearly 67,000 hospital-acquired COVID-19 patients in 613 hospitals across the country to determine the link between some common patient traits and the risk of dying from COVID-19.
Their analysis found that men had a 30 percent higher risk of dying compared to women of the same age and health status. Patients in hospital who were obese, with heart disease or poorly controlled diabetes had a higher risk of dying compared with those who did not have these conditions. Those aged 20 to 39 with these conditions had the greatest difference in mortality risk compared to their healthier peers.
Predicting which hospital-bound COVID-19 patients are most at risk of dying has taken on a critical pressure as cases and hospitals in the U.S. continue continued to comply to record high numbers during the month of December. Experience is power in many ways, so I think understanding which COVID-19 patients are most hospitalized to die in can help guide difficult treatment decisions. “
Anthony D. Harris, MD, MPH, Associate Research Author, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at UMSOM
For example, patients at higher risk of remdesivir may receive drugs earlier in their hospital to help prevent real complications or may be considered for closer examination or admission to an ICU. Healthcare providers may also want to consider these risks when determining which COVID-19 patients would benefit most from the new monoclonal antibody therapies that, if possible. they are given in the first few days of the disease, reducing the risk in hospital.
Age was the strongest predictor of mortality from COVID-19. Overall, nearly 19 percent of COVID-19 patients in the hospital died from their disease with the lowest mortality among parent-child patients, which was less than 2 percent. Mortality rates increased with each decade of life with the highest mortality, 34 percent, among those aged 80 and older.
“There is still the highest risk of death in elderly patients, but younger patients with obesity or hip-baldness have the highest risk of dying compared to other patients their age without these conditions,” he said. lead author of the study Katherine E. Goodman, JD, PhD, postdoctoral member in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at UMSOM. “Doctors may want to take extra care of these younger patients while they’re in the hospital to make sure they find any problems quickly.”
The researchers also found good news in their study findings. Mortality rates among hospitalized patients have fallen dramatically since the early weeks of the pandemic in April. This is likely due to the availability of new treatments and greater knowledge in the medical community of how you can properly manage and care for patients in hospital.
As we enter the darkest weeks of the pandemic, we are encouraged that our researchers are continuing to make important advances that could help guide co-operative skills. health care workers will close in the field. I am extremely proud of our faculty and their achievements in helping to save the lives of COVID-19 patients while we eagerly await vaccination. “
E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and Distinguished Professor and Dean John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Source:
University of Maryland School of Medicine