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Lung CT Segmentation to Identify Consolidations and Ground Glass Areas for Quantitative Assesment of SARS-CoV Pneumonia
Published on: December 19, 2020
Age-Dependent Clinical Features and Prognosis of COVID-19 Patients
Ramin Sami1, Maryam Karbasi2, Somayeh Haji Ahmadi3
1Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Insights
Clinical symptoms of COVID-19 were similar across age groups, but paraclinical findings varied. Elderly patients showed higher inflammatory markers and different CT scan patterns, impacting mortality rates in this COVID-19 study.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Clinical and paraclinical manifestations of COVID-19 exhibit variations across different age demographics.
- Understanding these age-related differences is crucial for effective patient management and resource allocation in referral centers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare clinical symptoms, paraclinical findings, and outcomes of COVID-19 among young, middle-aged, and elderly patients.
- To identify age-specific patterns in disease presentation and progression.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 654 COVID-19 patients (PCR or CT confirmed) hospitalized between February and April 2020.
- Patients were stratified into young, middle-aged, and elderly groups for comparative analysis of predisposing conditions, clinical and paraclinical data, and outcomes.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in the prevalence of clinical COVID-19 symptoms was observed across the three age groups.
- Elderly patients exhibited significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cell count (WBC), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), and lower lymphocyte counts.
- Computed tomography (CT) scan findings varied, with ground-glass opacity (GGO) most common in young patients, GGO-consolidation in middle-aged patients, and consolidation in elderly patients. Mortality rates were highest in the elderly (10.36%) compared to middle-aged (7.27%) and young (3.8%) groups.
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 clinical presentation is largely independent of age.
- Paraclinical findings and CT scan patterns demonstrate significant age-related differences in COVID-19 patients.
- Age is a critical factor influencing COVID-19 outcomes, with higher mortality observed in older individuals.
Background:
The clinical and paraclinical symptoms of COVID-19 differ across age groups. This study investigated the differences between these parameters and their outcomes in young, middle-aged, and elderly patients admitted to a COVID-19 referral center.
Materials And Methods:
This retrospective study encompassed patients with COVID-19 hospitalized at Khorshid Hospital (Isfahan, Iran) during February 23 to April 30, 2020. The patients' predisposing conditions, clinical and paraclinical findings, and outcomes were compared among three young, middle-aged, and elderly groups.
Results:
Of the 1185 hospitalized patients with suspected COVID-19, 1065 were discharged or died at the end of the study. Among these 1065 patients, 654 patients with the mean age of 57.7 years had positive PCR results or typical CT scans and were included in the study, of whom 77 (11.8%), 353 (54%), and 234 (34.2%) patients were assigned into the young, middle-aged, and elderly groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference among the three groups regarding the prevalence of clinical symptoms. Moreover, CRP, ESR, WBC, BUN, Cr, and lymphocytes were higher in the elderly group. The ground-glass opacity (GGO) (24.1%), GGO-consolidation (27.4%), and consolidation (10.3%) were the most common CT scan findings in the young, middle-aged, and elderly groups, respectively. Fifty-three patients (8.1%) died, and the mortality rates were 10.36%, 7.27%, and 3.8% in the elderly, middle-aged, and young groups, respectively.
Conclusion:
COVID 19 symptoms do not depend on age; however, paraclinical findings differ across young, middle-aged, and elderly patients.
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