SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, CLINICAL AND MORBIDITY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH COVID 19 MORTALITY IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS: A RETROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Objective: To identify and evaluate the associations between baseline characteristics (sociodemographic variables, clinical features, morbidity factors) at the time of hospital admission and mortality in patients with COVID-19 at a tertiary hospital in north west India. Design and method: This retrospective observational study included 750 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 (from 1 st July to 30th September, 2020) at a tertiary care hospital in Rajasthan (north west state in India) who were discharged or who died. Information about gender, age, clinical features, comorbidities, and laboratory results for each patient were obtained from the electronic medical records. Associations between mortality and baseline characteristics on hospital admission were estimated as hazard ratios (HR) calculated with Cox regression models Results: Out of the total hospitalised patients, 64.6% were males and 35.4% were females. The overall mortality was 5.6%. Hypertension (9.7%) was the most common co morbidity, followed by Diabetes mellitus (6.8%). Mortality was higher among males, referred patients and the patients who presented with history of shortness of breath and fever. The variables most clearly associated with a greater hazard of death were age (2.5% HR increase per 1 year increase in age; 95%CI 1.2–5) and hypertension (HR 1.5, 95%CI 1.03–3.98). Conclusions: The patients who were not the local residents and referred from outside the district showed great vulnerability. The main baseline variables that were independently associated with mortality in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 were older age and hypertension.