Effects of Comorbidities on the Elderly Patients with COVID-19: Clinical Characteristics of Elderly Patients Infected with COVID-19 from Sichuan, China.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The co-occurrence of chronic diseases in the elderly is a common problem. However, the relationship between comorbidities and the prognosis of elderly patients with COVID-19 was not clear. This study was supposed to describe the clinical characteristics of elderly patients with COVID-19 infection from Sichuan province and the effects of comorbidity.

Design

A retrospective study.

Settings and participants

COVID-19 patients from Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu between December 16, 2019 and February 26, 2020 were included in this study. Patients were divided into elderly group (?60 years old) and non-elderly group (< 60 years old).

Results

Elderly patients with COVID-19 indicated relatively higher proportion of comorbidities, and the most common were atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (56.5%), hypertension (43.5%) and chronic pulmonary disease (21.7%). The proportion of severe cases was higher in elderly group than that in non-elderly group (73.9% and 42.2%, respectively, P=0.012). During hospitalization, elderly patients indicated relatively higher proportion of complications, such as shock (21.7%), respiratory failure (21.7%). The proportion of patients with a decreased number of CD8+ lymphocytes (82.6%) and B lymphocytes (77.8%) in elderly patients was significantly higher than that in non-elderly group (48.9% and 44.8%, respectively). All 3 deaths were elderly patients with comorbidities and the cell counts of T lymphocyte subsets, B and NK cells of them were significantly decreased at admission.

Conclusions

Elderly patients with COVID-19 had a high proportion of severe cases and comorbidities, more likely to show low immune function, and indicate higher proportion of complications.

SUBMITTER: Dai SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7548532 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature