Clinical Differences Between Elderly and Non-elderly Patients with COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Elderly individuals are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, exhibiting higher comorbidity frequencies and mortality rates.
• The severity of COVID-19 disease is notably increased in older populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the characteristics, severity, comorbidities, and mortality rates of COVID-19 in elderly versus nonelderly patients.
• To identify specific risk factors and predictors of mortality in elderly COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study including 469 COVID-19 patients, divided into elderly (≥65 years) and nonelderly (<65 years) groups.
• Analysis of clinical data, comorbidities, hospitalization duration, and survival outcomes.
• Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis to determine age as a predictor of mortality.

Main Results:

• Elderly patients showed significantly higher rates of severe pneumonia (31% vs. 12.6%), critical illness (16% vs. 5.8%), and comorbidities (85% vs. 37.2%).
• Mortality was 3.5 times higher in the elderly group (22.8% vs. 7.3%), with a shorter expected survival time.
• Age > 56 years was identified as a significant predictor of mortality with high sensitivity (86%) and specificity (66.83%).

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 presents with greater severity, more frequent comorbidities, and higher mortality in elderly individuals.
• An age cutoff of 56 years can serve as a valuable tool for predicting mortality risk in COVID-19 patients.