The Pattern of Comorbidities among COVID-19 Patients and their Impact on the Outcome in Babel Governorate/ Iraq-2020
ABSTRACT
Background:
Background:
The presence of comorbidity poses a major clinical challenge in the care and treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Objective:
Objective:
To evaluate the effects of common comorbidities on the severity, outcome, and length of stay in the hospital of COVID-19 patients, Babel Governorate, Iraq, 2020.
Methods:
Methods All the laboratory-confirmed cases in the two COVID-19 hospitals in Babel governorates during March through September 2020 were included. A form was developed to compile socio-demographic data, clinical presentation, and severity, comorbidities, length of
Results:
Results The total number of patients was 2574; 1581 (61.4%) were males. The mean age was 48.7 (±16.4) years. The severe cases were 1212 (47.1%), and critical were 489 (19.0%). The patients with no comorbidity were 1543 (59.9%); 536 (20.9%) had one comorbidity were, and 495 (19.2%) had two or more comorbidities. The most prevalent comorbidity was Diabetes Mellitus (25.0%), followed by hypertension (23.4%). The proportion of the severe/critical cases was 84.0% among the patients with comorbidity compared to 54.1% among the patients free from comorbid illnesses (P<0.001). Around 12% of patients with comorbidity had a mean hospitalization time >2 weeks compared to 8.0% among the patients with no comorbidity (P<0.001). The case-fatality ratio was 26.4% among patients with comorbidities compared to 10.6% among the patients free from comorbidity (P<0.001).
Conclusions:
Conclusions:
Comorbid illnesses are a significant predictor of serious hospital course and fatal outcome of COVID-19 patients. Those patients must undertake vigilant preventive measures and should have the priority to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
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