The Effect of Comorbid Disease on the Severity and Prognosis of Patients Hospitalized with SARS-Cov-2 Infection

Abstract

Objective: Patients with coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), frequently have comorbidities and this is thought to be a risk factor for poorer outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and effect of comorbidities on the severity and prognosis of patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center, epidemiological study. Patients with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection of the upper respiratory tract based on a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test using throat and nasal swab samples and/or clinically diagnosed according to lung imaging features compatible with coronavirus pneumonia hospitalized between March 15 and June 15, 2020 were included in the study. The relationship between the severity and prognosis of COVID-19 and comorbidities was analyzed. Results: A total of 258 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in the study; 140 (54.3%) patients had at least 1 comorbidity and 118 (45.7%) patients were categorized as patients without a comorbidity. In the group, 134 (51.9%) patients were male and 124 (48.1%) were female, with a mean age of 54.2±16.6 years (range: 18–92 years). The most common comorbidities were hypertension (32.9%) and diabetes mellitus (22.1%). The rate of development of severe pneumonia was significantly higher in the presence of hypertension (47.0% vs. 34.1%), heart failure (66.6% vs. 36.2%), and immunosuppression (69.2% vs. 37.0%) (p