Mortality risk in a Romanian cohort of patients hospitalised for COVID-19

Introduction: The incidence of poor outcomes in patients diagnosed with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is relatively high. We aimed to identify risk factors associated with increased mortality in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 in a university hospital from Western Romania. Methods: In this observational, single center study, we included consecutive patients admitted with a COVID-19 diagnosis in the Pulmonology Department of Victor Babes Hospital Timisoara, Romania. Clinical data including patient characteristics and outcomes, as well as laboratory, imaging and treatment data were collected. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify predictors of mortality. Results: 146 patients (age 61.1±13.7) hospitalised for COVID-19 between August and October 2020 were included in the study. Overall mortality was 15.8% (23 patients). Fatal outcome was associated with male gender (p=0.047), older age (p<0.001), lower oxygen saturation (SaO2) at admission (p=0.012), higher CRP level (p=0.001) and higher extension of pulmonary lesions on CT scan (p<0.001). In the multivariate analysis of death predictors, significant contributors were the degree of COVID-19 pulmonary lesions (OR 4.84, 95% CI 1.21–20.84, p=0.035) followed by age (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04–1.20, p=0.002) and maximum recorded level of glycaemia during hospitalisation (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.01, p=0.035), but not gender (p=0.078), SaO2 at admission (p=0.262) or CRP level (p=0.721). Conclusions: Severe COVID-19 pulmonary lesions, older age and a higher alteration of glycemic profile could predict severe outcome.