The Relationship Between COVID-19-induced Death and Chronic Diseases

Morbidity and mortality due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are mainly related to age and comorbidity diseases (hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, malignancies, etc.). These conditions are associated with poorer clinical outcomes and sometimes lead to long-term hospitalization. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between COVID-19-induced mortality and various chronic diseases in patients admitted to Ali Ibn Abitaleb Hospital in Rafsanjan City, Iran, in 2020. 

In this retrospective, descriptive, and cross-sectional study, patients with COVID-19 referring to Ali Ibn Abitaleb Hospital in Rafsanjan City, Iran, from March 2020 to September 2020 were assessed. The required data were collected using patients’ records and telephone calls by a researcher-made checklist and analyzed by Independent Samples t-test, Chi-squared test, Fisher’s Exact test, Kaplan-Meier plots, and multivariate regression analysis in SPSS v. 20. 

This study assessed 238 hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The risk of death was significantly higher in patients aged over 75 years; they were 5.5 times more prone to expire, compared to the youngest age group (P<0.001). Chronic diseases, such as hypertension, heart disease, lung disease, and various cancers were more prevalent in patients who expired, compared to those who survived (P≤0.05). Of the patients who died, 73.8% were transferred to the Intensive U (ICU), while only 7.5% of surviving patients were transferred to the ICU (P<0.001). Longer hospitalization was associated with an increased risk of death among patients with underlying diseases and hypertension (P<0.05).

This study identified the role of chronic diseases and other important indicators in the survival of patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to a hospital in Rafsanjan. It is recommended that nurses and healthcare staff consider these findings in the care of patients with COVID-19.