Baseline Characteristics and Outcomes of 180 Egyptian COVID-19 Patients Admitted to Quarantine Hospitals of Ain Shams University: A Retrospective Comparative Study

Background and study aimCOVID-19 mortality, severity, and recovery are major global concerns, but they are still insufficiently understood, particularly in the Middle East. This study focused on evaluating if there was a link between COVID-19 patients clinical and laboratory findings at hospital admission and disease severity and mortality. Patients and methodsA total of 180 adult Egyptian COVID-19 patients were included in this study then were categorized and compared. ResultsOf all, 27.8% had severe disease, and 13.9% died during their hospital stay. Diabetes (46.7%), hypertension (36.1%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (33.3%) were the most frequent associated co-morbidities. Severe patients and non-survivors were significantly older compared to their corresponding groups. Their neutrophil count, PCT, ESR, C-reactive protein (CRP), AST, ALT, LDH, D-dimer, and ferritin levels were significantly higher (P [≤] 0.05). In contrast, their absolute lymphocyte count was significantly lower (P [≤] 0.05). COPD (OR: 3.294; 95% CI: 1.199-9.053), diabetes (OR: 2.951; 95% CI:1.070- 8.137), ferritin [≥] 350 ng/mL (OR: 11.08; 95% CI: 2.796-41.551), AST [≥] 40 IU/L (OR: 3.07; 95% CI: 1.842-7.991), CT-scoring system (CT-SS) [≥] 17 (OR: 1.205; 95% CI: 1.089-1.334) and lymphocyte count < 1x103/{micro}L (OR: 4.002; 95% CI: 1.537-10.421), were all linked to a higher risk of COVID-19 severity. While mortality was predicted by dyspnea (OR: 4.006; 95% CI: 1.045-15.359), CT-SS [≥] 17 (OR: 1.271; 95% CI: 1.091-1.482) and AST [≥] 40 IU/L (OR: 2.89; 95% CI: 1.091-7.661). ConclusionsClinical and laboratory data of COVID-19 patients at their hospital admission may aid in identifying early risk factors for severe illness and a high mortality rate.