PROFILING COMORBIDITIES IN COVID-19 PATIENTS: RETROSPECTIVE EVIDENCE FROM THE PANDEMIC…

Abstract

Objectives. This retrospective study aims to characterize demographics, comorbidities, clinical-laboratory features and outcomes of COVID-19 patients admitted to the Infectious Diseases Service during the 2020 pandemic period. Material and methods. A total of 1001 patients with confirmed COVID-19 (via RT-PCR) admitted between March 9 and December 31, 2020, were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were collected from individual medical charts obtained from the hospital Statistics Service. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0. Categorical variables were expressed as counts and percentages, and continuous variables as means, SD, or Mdn. Chi-square tests and multivariate analyses were applied where appropriate. Results. The study population comprised 65% men and 35% women, with an average (mean) age of 60.4 years (SD = 13.9). The most common comorbidity was arterial hypertension (45.3%). The average temperature on admission was 37.2 °C (SD = 0.8), and the average PaO2 was 72.3 mmHg (SD = 23.1). Severe lung injury consistent with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was observed in 43.9% of patients. Additionally, 15.1% of patients required intubation, and mortality in this subgroup was 100%. C-reactive protein (CRP) values decreased by the eighth day of hospitalization. Conclusions. In this cohort, men represented the majority of COVID-19 cases, and arterial hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity. A significant proportion of patients experienced severe respiratory impairment, and CRP levels declined over the first week of hospitalization. These findings provide insights into the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients in a tertiary hospital setting and highlight the importance of monitoring comorbidities and laboratory markers in disease management. Keywords: COVID-19; C-reactive protein (CRP); acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); COVID-19 Reporting and Data System (CO-RADS)