Comparison of clinical characteristics of elderly patients with COVID-19 with young and middle-aged patients in a COVID-19 hospital in Herat province of Afghanistan

Coronaviruses are a large family of RNA viruses affecting mammals and birds. The first case of coronavirus in Afghanistan was recorded on February 24, 2020 in a 35-year-old male from Herat who had recently traveled to Iran. The clinical characteristics of elderly and young patients with COVID-19 that affects the respiratory tract may be different. This study reviewed and compared the clinical characteristics of young and elderly patients who were affected by the 2019 novel coronavirus in a COVID-19 hospital in the Herat province of Afghanistan.

Clinical data of patients were collected from a COVID-19 hospital in Herat province of Afghanistan. The clinical characteristics of elderly patients were compared with young and middle-aged patients.

The study consisted of 52 patients that included 35 elderly patients (67.30%) and 17 young and middle-aged patients (32.69%). The universal symptoms in the two groups were fever followed by cough and sore throat accompanied by fatigue. The CURB-65 score for the elderly group was 3 (0-6) and for the young and middle-aged group it was 2 (0-7). The CURB-65 score of the young subgroup was lower than that of the middle-aged subgroup of patients (P<0.001). The involvement of multiple lobes in the young and middle-aged group was lower than that of the elderly group (P<0.05). There was no difference in single lobe involvement between the two groups. Old age and having underlying diseases (diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) puts people at higher risk of COVID-19.

Clinical characteristics between the young and elderly patients affected by the 2019 novel coronavirus in COVID-19 may be different, and this knowledge is crucial in diagnosis, treatment, and methods of control.