OUTCOMES AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COVID-19 DISEASE IN THE FRAIL, ELDERLY POPULATION OF TAYSIDE...British Geriatrics Society Autumn Meeting, November 25-27 2020 (Virtual)

Introduction: With advancing age, frailty, multi-morbidity and need for care, elderly patients are some of the most vulnerable to Covid-19 disease In NHS Tayside, a dedicated Covid-19 Medicine for the Elderly (MFE) Team was formed to care for patients identified as frail and likely to benefit from comprehensive geriatric assessment Methods: All Covid-19 patients meeting frailty criteria1, cared for by the Covid-19 MFE Team were identified Data on outcomes and clinical characteristics for all (140) patients admitted during the first pandemic wave (March–July 2020) was collected using electronic patient records and analysed Results: Patients were predominantly male (58 6%) Ages ranged from 65–99 years, with 43 6% aged ≥85 years 82 1% had one or more of cough, fever and anosmia on admission fitting Covid-19 case definition 2 Lymphopenia was present in 92 1% Of note, 26 5% of patients had a normal or unchanged chest x-ray report, with only 10 2% showing bilateral peripheral infiltrates 28-day mortality was 37 1% with Covid-19 Disease listed as primary cause of death in 90 4% Conclusion(s): Entering further “waves” of infection, it is vital that we understand the clinical presentation and course of Covid-19 disease in elderly patients Our data highlights that any Covid-19 symptom, even in isolation, should raise suspicion of disease Chest xrays should not be used alone as a diagnostic tool The presence of lymphopenia should raise suspicion of Covid-19 infection In developing an understanding of how elderly patients with Covid-19 present, we can ensure early identification and initiation of appropriate infection control measures