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ABSTRACT: Background
Epidemiological data obtained during the initial wave of the COVID-19 epidemic showed that persons dying with COVID-19 were typically older men with multiple chronic conditions. No studies have assessed if the characteristics of patients dying with COVID-19 have changed in the second phase of the epidemic, when the initial wave subsided. The aim of the present study was to compare characteristics of patients dying with COVID-19 in Italy in the first 'peak' phase of the epidemic and in its second phase.Methods
Medical charts of patients with COVID-19 who died while in hospital in Italy were reviewed to extract information on pre-existing comorbidities, in-hospital complications, and disease trajectories. The course of the epidemic was classified in two 3-month periods: March-May 2020 and June-August 2020.Findings
Overall, in the Italian population, 34,191 COVID-19 deaths occurred in March-May 2020 and 1,404 in June-August 2020. Patients dying in March-May were significantly younger (80.1?±?10.6 vs. 82.8?±?11.1 years, p?InterpretationThe clinical characteristics of patients dying with COVID-19 in Italy, their treatment and symptom-to-death survival time have significantly changed overtime. This is probably due to an improved organization and delivery of care and to a better knowledge of disease treatment.
SUBMITTER: Palmieri L
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7750107 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Palmieri Luigi L Palmer Katie K Lo Noce Cinzia C Meli Paola P Giuliano Marina M Floridia Marco M Tamburo de Bella Manuela M Piccioli Andrea A Brusaferro Silvio S Onder Graziano G
Aging clinical and experimental research 20201221 1
<h4>Background</h4>Epidemiological data obtained during the initial wave of the COVID-19 epidemic showed that persons dying with COVID-19 were typically older men with multiple chronic conditions. No studies have assessed if the characteristics of patients dying with COVID-19 have changed in the second phase of the epidemic, when the initial wave subsided. The aim of the present study was to compare characteristics of patients dying with COVID-19 in Italy in the first 'peak' phase of the epidemi ...[more]