Causes of deaths in COVID-19 patients

Abstract

COVID-19 is the newly emerged coronavirus disease with its first few cases in December 2019 in China and has been spreading in an unstoppable manner since then. Its causative organism is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is a colossal pandemic worldwide including various parts of India resulting in several cases and a considerable number of deaths (21,000 deaths in India of the disease). The patients mainly die of respiratory failure, although the pathways and the different responses to supportive treatment are still being assessed for a better understanding. Patients of age 65 or above, immunocompromised patients, and who already suffer a medical condition are at high risk of development of severe complications due to COVID-19, and thus need to be hospitalised. The exact course of the virus and its pathway, disease are still being understood by the scholars to reduce the spread and mortality caused by it. This review describes the possible causes of death in the patients suffering from COVID-19, high-risk groups of COVID-19 infection, the current status of the infection spread in the country and the progress in the management strategies of patients.