Clinical Epidemiology of Deceased COVID-19 Patients in Mazandaran Heart Center, 2020-2021

Background and Clinical epidemiology of deceased COVID-19 patients is of great importance in identifying the risk factors for mortality and controlling the pandemic. In this study, we studied the demographic and clinical characteristics of deceased COVID-19 patients in Sari Fatemeh Zahra Hospital, Iran, between March 2020 and February 2021.
This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed by reviewing hospital records of deceased patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (n=214). Diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed on the basis of positive RT-PCR test and lung CT scan findings. Information about demographic and imaging characteristics, underlying diseases, and risk factors were collected. Data were analyzed in SPSS V25.
The mean age of deceased patients was 68.37 ± 14.1. The most common underlying diseases were hypertension(47.2%), cardiovascular disease (45.8%), and diabetes (40.7%). Abnormalities in lung imaging included peripheral lesions of ground glass in 149 (69.6%), ground glass with consolidation in 46 (21.4%), and crazy paving in 19 (9%) patients, respectively. There was no difference in mean age, sex, underlying diseases, and type of supportive care in patients who died during the epidemic waves of one to three.
Underlying diseases were the most critical risk factors for the death of patients with COVID-19 and should be given special attention in assessing the need for hospitalization and treatment of these patients. It is also recommended to conduct a comprehensive study of deceased patients before and after vaccination to evaluate the final effects of general immunization.