Admission high-sensitivity cardiac troponin levels as a prognostic indicator for in-hospital mortality rates in the elderly and very elderly COVID-19 patients

•COVID-19 patients with the worst prognosis are older and more comorbid patients, but very elderly patients are the less studied in clinical trials. This study involve elderly and very elderly patients affected by COVID-19.•Increased HS-cTnT value during COVID-19 can be due not only to direct cardiac damage (ischemic or not ischemic) but also to pre-existing cardiovascular diseases or other comorbidities.•High admission HS-cTnT level (≥ 101 pg/ml) is an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in elderly and very elderly COVID-19 patients.•Admission HS-cTnT level is a simple and not expensive blood test that can help clinicians to stage frailty and then mortality risk of elderly patients. This study has demonstrated the utility of evaluating HS-cTnT at hospitalization for elderly COVID-19 patients.