Risk Factors for Mortality in Patients with COVID-19: The Kuwait Experience

• Published in: Medical principles and practice Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 180 - 186
• Main Authors: Al Saleh, Mohammad, Alotaibi, Naser, Schrapp, Kelly, Alsaber, Ahmad, Pan, Jiazhu, Almutairi, Farah, Abdullah, Mohammed, Aboelhassan, Wael, AlNasrallah, Noor, Al-Bader, Bader, Malhas, Haya, Ramadhan, Maryam, Hamza, Mahdy, Abdelnaby, Hassan, Alroomi, Moudhi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.05.2022
• Subjects: Age; Asymptomatic; Cardiovascular disease; Cohort analysis; COVID-19; Disease transmission; Dyspnea; Fatalities; Hospitals; Hypertension; Infections; Lung diseases; Males; Mortality; Original Paper; Regression analysis; Risk factors; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Sociodemographics; Survival analysis; Ventilators; Kuwait; United States > US; China; COVID-19; Survival; Mortality; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2
• ISSN: 1011-7571; 1423-0151
• DOI: 10.1159/000522166

Objectives: To describe the baseline characteristics and to evaluate the risk factors for in-hospital mortality in patients admitted to hospitals with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Kuwait. Subjects and Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data of patients admitted to two hospitals in Kuwait with COVID-19. The outcome was assessed by using multivariable analysis of factors affecting survival and mortality. Results: In 962 patients, the case fatality ratio was 9.04%. The mean age of nonsurvivors was 63.5 ± 14.8 years, and most deaths occurred in males (80.5%). For the whole sample, the source of transmission was significantly related to mortality and the median duration of in-hospital stay was 15 days (interquartile range: 2–52 days). In patients with high oxygen requirements, the case fatality rate was 96.6%. Multivariable analysis identified age, hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and dyspnea on presentation as independent risk factors for COVID-19 mortality. Conclusions: The mortality rate was higher in older patients with comorbidities such as hypertension and CVD. Early recognition of high-risk patients may help to improve care and reduce mortality.