Male gender, old age predominate in fatal COVID-19 cases
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Male gender, old age and the presence of underlying conditions appear to be the most common characteristics associated with fatal COVID-19 outcomes, according to results from a study of 14 patients published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.
This finding is consistent with previous reports of COVID-19 fatalities, according to the paper.
“Treating comorbidities and watching for early signs of respiratory failure and infections in order to implement early interventions seem to be important in reducing death among these patients, since there is still a lack of efficient treatment for COVID-19,” Shu-Yuan Xiao, MD, professor of pathology at University of Chicago Medicine, told Healio.
Xiao noted that, because the study included consecutive fatal cases from a single hospital, the results may be representative of the demographics of fatality in patients with COVID-19. These mortality risks include male gender, older age and comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, he said.
The researchers analyzed clinical and laboratory features of 14 patients from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in China who died from COVID-19. Electronic medical records were analyzed to identify fatal COVID-19 cases from January 2020. Researchers included only patients who had their diagnosis confirmed by a positive nucleic acid test or met clinical diagnostic criteria outlined by the National Health Commission of China.
The cohort included 11 male and three female patients. Nine of the patients were aged 70 years or older and nearly all patients had an underlying disease. Bilateral pneumonia with fever was the main manifestation of disease; lab tests showed lymphocytopenia in 10 of the patients, high blood glucose levels in 11 and high levels of lactate dehydrogenase in five of the six patients tested.
Xiao noted that the only result that surprised the researchers was the significantly higher proportion of male patients, a phenomenon that “still cannot be well explained,” he said. He also noted that the study was limited by a small number of cases and insufficient information regarding therapy for the patients’ underlying conditions. – by Eamon Dreisbach
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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