Open AccessRisk Factors of COVID-19 Critical Outcomes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Multicountry Retrospective Study
Author(s) -
Faris Lami,
Maisa Elfadul,
Hiba Abdulrahman Rashak,
Mohannad Al Nsour,
Hashaam Akhtar,
Yousef Khader,
Amal K. Hussein,
Mariam Naciri,
Sahar Samy,
Yasser Ghaleb,
Hana Taha,
Alaa Hussein Aljanabe,
Nameer A. Ali,
Raheem Hussein Zayer,
Aamer Ikram,
Fazal Rahman,
Muhammad Mujeeb Khan,
Reema Adam,
Abdirizak Yusuf Ahmed,
Salma Afifi
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
jmir public health and surveillance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2369-2960
DOI - 10.2196/32831
Subject(s) - medicine , retrospective cohort study , comorbidity , diabetes mellitus , medical record , mortality rate , epidemiology , covid-19 , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , endocrinology
Background The establishment of empirical evidence in the Eastern Mediterranean Region necessitates the implementation of wide-scale studies to describe the demographic, clinical features, and severity profile of patients with COVID-19. Objective This study aims to assess the patterns of COVID-19 severity and mortality in seven countries, and to determine the risk factors of COVID-19 severity and mortality. Methods This multicountry study was based on a retrospective review of medical records of hospitalized patients confirmed to have COVID-19. This study includes data from Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Morocco, Egypt, and Yemen. All demographic and clinical data were extracted from hospital records (paper files) by trained data collectors. Results A total of 4141 patients were included in this study from seven countries. Comorbidities were reported by nearly half of the patients, with hypertension (n=1021, 24.7%) and diabetes (n=939, 22.7%) being the most common. Older age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and heart diseases were significantly associated with COVID-19 severity and mortality. Ever smoking and renal diseases were significantly associated with severity but not mortality, while male gender, respiratory diseases, and malignancy were significantly associated with mortality but not severity. Conclusions The study confirms the role of comorbidities and demographic features on the severity and mortality of COVID-19. Understanding the contributing factors ensures attentive care and informs clinical management of patients with poorer prognoses in the early stages of diseases.