COVID-19 in Relation to Polypharmacy and Immunization (2020-2024)

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology
• Geriatrics

Background:

• Observational studies suggest polypharmacy is linked to worse COVID-19 outcomes.
• Chronic antihistamine use may reduce COVID-19 hospital admissions and mortality.
• Understanding the profile of hospitalized patients across variants is key for future research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the profile of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
• To identify specific patient groups for targeted prevention strategies.
• To inform future prospective trials on COVID-19 management.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1457 COVID-19 hospital admissions at the Hospital of Terrassa.
• Data collected from March 2020 to August 2024 from a population of 167,386.
• Analysis included age, gender, number of chronic treatments (nT), and immunization status.

Main Results:

• Of 291 hospitalized patients (post-May 2023), 70.2% were over 70 years old and 39% had >8 chronic treatments.
• Vaccination status varied: 12% unvaccinated, 59% received ≥4 vaccines.
• Delta or Omicron variants likely responsible for most admissions (>60 years) without vaccines.

Conclusions:

• Patients over 70 with ≥5 chronic treatments and no prior infection are high-risk.
• Priority should be given to prevention strategies for this demographic.
• Updated vaccination and early treatment are recommended to reduce hospitalizations.