Long-Term Mortality in Very Old Survivors of COVID-19

• Published in: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association Vol. 25; no. 8; p. 105047
• Main Authors: Serratrice, Christine, Jean, Michèle, Herrmann, François, di Silvestro, Katharine, Trombert, Véronique, Moro, Davide, Lacroix, Océana, Coutaz, Martial, Graf, Christophe, Zekry, Dina, Mendes, Aline
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2024
• Subjects: COVID-19; long-term mortality; geriatrics; older people; nursing homes
• ISSN: 1538-9375
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2024.105047

This report aimed to describe mortality at 18 months in older survivors of the first wave of COVID-19. Observational cohort study. Patients aged ≥65 years hospitalized for COVID-19 in the acute geriatric wards of 2 centers. Characteristics of deceased and survivors were compared by Fisher exact, Mann-Whitney U, or 2-tailed t tests. Survival rates were analysed by Cox proportional hazards regression models. Of a total of 323 patients admitted during the first wave, 196 survived the acute phase, with 34 patients who died in the 18 months after hospital discharge (17.3%). Higher mortality was observed in patients living in nursing homes (P = .033) and in those who were hospitalized after discharge during the follow-up period (97.1% vs 72.8%, P = .001). There was no difference in survival curves according to age, sex, presence of dyspnea, and dementia. Living in a nursing home significantly increased the mortality rates in the multivariate model adjusted for age and sex (hazard ratio 3.07, 95% CI 1.47-6.40; P = .007). No excess mortality was observed during 18 months in older survivors of COVID-19. Living in a nursing home was associated with decreased survival rates.