JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Data on clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in Pakistani population has not been documented on a large scale. Knowing the predictors of the disease severity and outcomes may help identify high risk groups

Objective:

This retrospective study aimed to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics and subsequent clinical outcomes of a cohort of 1,812 patients with confirmed COVID-19 in the Rawalpindi-Islamabad region of Pakistan. Moreover, this study aimed to determine the predictors of COVID-19 severity and clinical outcomes

Methods:

A retrospective observational study involving abstraction of demographic features, presenting symptoms and adverse clinical outcomes for 1,812 COVID-19 patients admitted to the four major hospitals in the Rawalpindi-Islamabad region of Pakistan was conducted in the period February -August, 2020. The main studied outcomes included severity of COVID-19 infection, admission to ICU, need for ventilator, and mortality

Results:

The most prevalent presenting symptoms at the time of admission were fever (87.9%), cough (79.1%) and shortness of breath (55.1%). Of all patients, 24% patients required ICU admission and 21.5% required ventilator at some point of disease progression during their stay at the hospital and 25.9 % patients died. Old age and presence of hypertension, diabetes, COPD, chronic kidney disease, asthma were significant predictors for disease severity, requirement of intensive care unit (ICU), requirement of ventilator and death

Conclusions:

Older people with comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, COPD, and chronic kidney disease are at increased risk of developing severe form of COVID-19 with an increased likelihood of adverse clinical outcomes