Demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of 27,256 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Kermanshah Province, Iran: a retrospective one-year cohort study

Background Since the first official report of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Iran on 19 February 2020, our country has been one of the worst affected countries by the COVID-19 epidemic in the Middle East. In addition to demographic and clinical characteristics, the number of hospitalized cases and deaths is an important factor for evidence-based decision-making and disease control and preparing the healthcare system to face the future challenges of COVID-19. Therefore, this cohort study was conducted to determine the demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Kermanshah Province, west of Iran. Methods This multicenter retrospective cohort study included all suspected, probable, and confirmed cases of COVID-19 hospitalized in Kermanshah Province, Iran during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographics, clinical characteristics, outcomes and other additional information of hospitalized patients were collected from the COVID-19 database of the Medical Care Monitoring Center (MCMC) of Kermanshah Province. Results Kermanshah Province experienced three waves of COVID-19 infection considering the hospitalization and mortality rates between February 20, 2020 and February 19, 2021. A total of 27,256 patients were included in the study: 5203 (19.09%) subjects were suspected, 9136(33.52%) were probable, and 12,917 (47.39%) were confirmed COVID-19 cases. The mean age of the patients was 53.34 ± 22.74 years and 14,648 (53.74%) were male. The median length of hospital stay among COVID-19 survivors and non-survivors patients were 4 (interquartile range [IQR] 1–6) and 4 (IQR 1–8) days, respectively. Among patients with COVID-19, 2646 (9.71%) died during hospitalization. A multivariable logistic regression revealed that odds of death among patients ≥ 85 years was significantly greater than among patients < 15 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.43–6.71, p≤ 0.001). Patients with one (aOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.21–1.59, p = 0.04), two (aOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.27–1.92, p = 0.001) or more (aOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.04–2.17, p = 0.03) comorbidities had higher odds of in-hospital death compared to those without comorbidities. The male sex (aOR 1.20, 95% CI 1.07- 1.35, p = 0.002), ICU admission (aOR 4.35, 95% CI 3.80–4.97, p < 0.001), intubation (aOR 11.09, 95% CI 9.58–12.84, p < 0.001), respiratory distress (aOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.22–1.61, p < 0.001), loss of consciousness (aOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.45–2.25, p < 0.001), anorexia (aOR 1.36, 95% CI 1.09–1.70, p = 0.006) and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) < 93(aOR 2.72, 95% CI 2.34–3.16, p < 0.001) on admission were associated with increased risk of death in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Having cough (aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.72–0.93, p = 0.003) and headache (aOR 0.70, 95% CI 0.50–0.97, p = 0.03) decreased the odds of death. Conclusion The mortality rate of the patients admitted to the general wards and ICU can be a guide for allocating resources and making appropriate plans to provide better medical interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several risk factors are associated with the in-hospital mortality of COVID-19, including advanced age, male sex, ICU admission, intubation, having comorbidity, SpO2 < 93, respiratory distress, loss of consciousness, headache, anorexia, and cough. These risk factors could help clinicians identify patients at high risk for death.