Learning from Regional Variations in Clinical Profile and Outcomes among Hospitalized Elderly COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study in South India
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Date
2025-06
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Publisher
Wolters Kluwer – Medknow
Abstract
Background: While older adults are at greater risk of severe COVID-19 and mortality, the mortality rate among the elderly in India was lower than that reported in other countries, warranting further investigation into age?specific clinical characteristics and outcomes. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on all reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction -confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted between July 2020 and March 2021 using data extracted from case records and the hospital COVID-19 registry. Patients were classified into two age groups: elderly (?60 years) and younger (<60 years). Descriptive statistics and adjusted logistic regression were used to compare clinical features and predictors of mortality. Results: Among 7256 patients, 20% were aged 60 years or older. While almost one in two elderly patients were asymptomatic, among the rest, one in three experienced respiratory distress; the mortality rate was five times higher than in younger cohorts; and neither diabetes nor hypertension was independently associated with mortality. The in-hospital mortality rate in the elderly was 10.8%, five times higher than in younger patients (2.3%). Respiratory distress was the only symptom independently associated with death (oddsratio 5.1, 95% confidence interval 2.3–11.1).Among those with baseline lab data (n = 570), common abnormalities included hypoalbuminemia (88%), anemia (70%), high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (62.9%), hyperglycemia (62.4%), hyperkalemia (48.4%), and elevated blood urea nitrogen (45.4%). Conclusion: Elderly COVID?19 patients in India exhibit a distinct clinical profile. These findings support the need for age and region-sensitive care strategies during health emergencies.
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Keywords
Comorbidity, COVID-19, elderly, India, mortality, respiratory distress
Citation
David SC, John BO, Sharon JO, Subhashini M, Haridoss S. Learning from Regional Variations in Clinical Profile and Outcomes among Hospitalized Elderly COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study in South India. Journal of the Indian Academy of Geriatrics. 2025 Jun; 21(2): 116-119