Comparative analysis of the course of COVID-19 in May 2020 and May 2021 in a hospital healthcare organization

Abstract

Objective. To perform an analytical assessment of the dynamics of COVID-19 patients` state in the conditions of a hospital healthcare organization taking into account their comorbid diseases in May 2020 and May 2021, and to determine the prognostic indicators for a severe course of COVID-19.Materials and methods. 96 medical records of COVID-19 patients who had undergone treatment at Gomel City Clinical Hospital No. 3 in May 2020 and 130 medical records of COVID-19 patients who had undergone treatment in May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Results. The average age of women treated for pneumonia associated with COVID-19 at the hospital healthcare organization in 2020 was 58 years, in 2021 – 64.5 years, of men in 2020 – 58 years, in 2021 – 60.5 years. All patients underwent clinical examination according to temporary protocols. The most common COVID-19 comorbid background diseases in both 2020 and 2021 were coronary artery disease (CAD), arterial hypertension (AH), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes mellitus (DM), kidney disease, and obesity. Polymorbidity in 2021 was observed 1.5 times more often than in 2020 (pFisher<0.001). C-reactive protein (CRP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels are statistically associated with the severity of pneumonia (rS=0.33; p<0.001 and rS=0.2; p=0.03, respectively). The neutrophillymphocyte ratio (NLR) level in patients with a mild course of pneumonia associated with COVID-19 in 2020 was 1.58, in 2021 – 1.05, while in patients with a severe course in 2020 – 7.7, in 2021 – 10.63.Conclusion. CRP, LDH and NLR serve as available methods for predicting the course of COVID-19 in comorbid patients in clinical practice.