Clinical Characteristics of Hospitalized Individuals Dying With COVID-19 by Age Group in Italy

Abstract

Background: Aim of the present study is to describe characteristics of COVID-19-related deaths and to compare the clinical phenotype and course of COVID-19-related deaths occurring in adults (= 65 years). Method: Medical charts of 3,032 patients dying with COVID-19 in Italy (368 aged < 65 years and 2,664 aged >= 65 years) were revised to extract information on demographics, preexisting comorbidities, and in-hospital complications leading to death. Results: Older adults (>= 65 years) presented with a higher number of comorbidities compared to those aged = 65 years), while obesity, chronic liver disease, and HIV infection were more common in younger adults (<65 years); 10.9% of younger patients (= 65 years). The younger adults had a higher rate of non-respiratory complications than older patients, including acute renal failure (30.0% vs 20.6%), acute cardiac injury (13.5% vs 10.3%), and superinfections (30.9% vs 9.8%). Conclusions: Individuals dying with COVID-19 present with high levels of comorbidities, irrespective of age group, but a small proportion of deaths occur in healthy adults with no preexisting conditions. Non-respiratory complications are common, suggesting that the treatment of respiratory conditions needs to be combined with strategies to prevent and mitigate the effects of non-respiratory complications.