Demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of patients with COVID-۱۹ admitted to a hospital in Khorramabad, western Iran

Background/objective: Measuring the characteristics of patients with COVID-۱۹ can has a considerable effect on timely detection of infected patients and thus reducing the prevalence of COVID-۱۹ and its mortality. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of patients with COVID-۱۹ admitted to a hospital in Khorramabad, western Iran, and to find the factors associated with death from COVID-۱۹. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical study, with a cross-sectional design. The data of all patients with COVID-۱۹ hospitalized in Shahadaye Ashayer Hospital in the mid-year of ۲۰۲۱ were examined (n=۵۵۵). A researcher-made checklist was used to extract information of patients including demographic data, history of smoking, clinical symptoms, history of underlying diseases, and laboratory findings. Then, they were analyzed in SPSS v.۱۹, using descriptive statistics, independent t-test and chi-square test. The significance level was set at ۰.۰۵. Results: There were ۴۸۱ (۸۶.۷%) recovered cases and ۷۴ (۱۳.۳%) deceased cases. The mean age of deceased patients was significantly higher (۷۷.۱۸±۹.۴۶ vs. ۵۸.۴۹±۱۳.۲۵ years). There was also a significant difference between recovered and deceased patients in terms of marital status (p=۰.۰۰۱), occupation (p=۰.۰۰۱), and history of smoking tobacco (p=۰.۰۰۲). Shortness of breath (۷۴.۲%), dry cough (۶۳.۲%), nausea/vomiting (۵۶.۶%), and anorexia (۵۷.۲%) were the most prevalent clinical symptoms in patients with COVID-۱۹. The most common underlying diseases were hypertension (۱۵%) and diabetes (۹.۵%). The difference between the two deceased and recovered groups was significant in terms of WBC count, neutrophil percentage, and creatinine and potassium levels, where the deceased patients had higher values in these variables. Conclusion: People who died from COVID-۱۹ in Khorramabad city were old, married, and unemployed with underlying diseases and higher WBC count, neutrophil percentage, and creatinine and potassium levels.

Keywords:

COVID-۱۹ , epidemiology , mortality , social determinants of health