Investigating the Survival-Related Factors in the Hospitalized Elderly Patients with Covid-19

Reports indicates a higher mortality rate of Covid-19 in the elderly. A limited number of studies have been performed on elderly patients in Iran. In the present study, we investigated the clinical features and survival of elderly patients with Covid-19 in Baharloo Hospital, Tehran, Iran. 

This retrospective cohort study was conducted on the data of elderly patients with Covid-19 admitted to Baharloo Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The data of the hospitalized patients were followed until discharge or death. Finally, survival-related factors were analyzed using Cox regression. 

A total of 522 patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 53.8% were male and 101 died. The mean age of the deceased was 76.3 years, with a standard deviation of 8.6 years. The most common clinical symptoms at the time of admission were respiratory distress (69.5%), cough (61.1%), and fever (51.1%). Cox regression results showed that the risk of death increased by 5% for each one-year increase in age. In addition, calcium supplementation reduced the risk of death by 35%.

The results of the present study showed that calcium supplementation could be associated with increased survival of the elderly and reduced mortality. Due to calcium insufficiency in the Iranian population and the protective role of calcium in Covid-19, this issue is essential in the elderly patients warranting further investigation in the future.