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COVID-19 in 96 Patients With Hematologic Disease: The First Single-center Experience From the Czech Republic
Martin Čerňan1, Tomáš Szotkowski1, Aleš Obr1
1Department of Hemato-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc and University Hospital Olomouc.
Insights
This study analyzed COVID-19 outcomes in 96 Czech hematology patients. Older age significantly correlated with severe infection and mortality, highlighting its prognostic value in hematologic disease patients.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a significant mortality risk for patients with hematologic diseases.
- No prior epidemiological studies on COVID-19 in hematology patients have been published from the Czech Republic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in patients with hematologic malignancies and bone marrow failure syndromes.
- To identify prognostic factors for COVID-19 severity and mortality in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 96 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection treated at a single hematology center in the Czech Republic.
- Data collection included patient demographics, hematologic disease status, COVID-19 severity, and mortality.
- Statistical analysis to identify correlations between patient characteristics and COVID-19 outcomes.
Main Results:
- Older age (over 60 years) was significantly associated with more severe COVID-19 infection, lung involvement, and increased mortality.
- Complete remission of hematologic disease showed a non-significant trend towards less severe COVID-19.
- Fifteen patients died during the study period, with age being a significant predictor of mortality.
Conclusions:
- Age is a significant prognostic factor for COVID-19 severity and mortality in patients with hematologic diseases.
- These findings underscore the importance of considering age in managing COVID-19 in hematology patients.
Background:
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents an important infectious complication associated with high mortality rates in patients with hematologic diseases. There have not been published any epidemiologic studies from Czech Republic so far.
Patients And Methods:
This study is the first analysis of patients with hematologic malignancies and bone marrow failure syndromes treated at single hematology center in the Czech Republic between March 1 and December 31, 2020, in whom COVID-19 infection was confirmed.
Results:
The sample comprised 96 patients aged 26 to 84 years (median, 66.0 years). At the time of their COVID-19 diagnosis, 75 patients (78.1%) were treated for hematologic diseases. Twenty-seven patients (28.1%) in the sample had complete remission (CR) of their hematologic disease. They were nonsignificantly more likely to have asymptomatic to moderate COVID-19 infection than those who failed to achieve CR (74.1% vs. 56.5%; P = .06). A more severe course of the infection was significantly correlated with older age (P = .047). Lung involvement was also statistically significantly associated with older age (P = .045). Over the study period, a total of 15 patients died. Age greater than 60 years was significantly associated with deaths from COVID-19 (P = .036), with failure to achieve CR having a statistically nonsignificant impact on mortality (P = .22).
Conclusion:
These results confirm the prognostic significance of age for achieving treatment response of hematologic disease as well as the severity and mortality of COVID-19 in hematology patients.
