Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5671/ca.44.4.4
Characteristics of COVID-19 Infection among -Nursing Home Residents – A Cross Sectional Study from Croatia
Maja Mizdrak
orcid.org/0000-0002-2112-004X
; Department of Nephrology and Hemodialysis, University Hospital Centre of Split, Split, Croatia
Ante Mayer
; Health Centre of Split-Dalmatia County, Split, Croatia
Ivan Jerković
; Department of Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital Centre of Split, Split, Croatia
Ivan Mizdrak
; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Centre of Split, Split, Croatia
Tina Tičinović Kurir
; Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders, University Hospital Centre of Split, Split, Croatia
Abstract
Given high risk of infection-related mortality due to impaired immunity, elderly patients are at increased risk with COVID-19. In its diagnostic procedure clinical laboratory medicine has a pivotal role. The aim of this study was to investigate clinical and laboratory specificities in Croatian population of nursing home residents affected by coronavirus. One hundred and six residents of nursing homes that were hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection, were included in this retrospective study. Clinical and laboratory findings at three time points were extracted from medical records. There were 86 females and 20 males, with median of age 84 (min-max: 47–97) years. Patients were divided into three groups: Survivors (S), patients who are still alive (N=65), In-Hospital Non-Survivors (IHNS), patients who died from coronavirus during hospitalization (N=31) and Out-of-Hospital Non-Survivors (OHNS), patients who recovered from infection but died during the period of three months of the follow-up (N=10). We have established differences between these three groups in laboratory findings (p<0.05). At the admission, survivors had lower values of lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, sedimentation ratio, ferritin and C-reactive protein, OHNS were in the middle, and IHNS had the highest values. Leukocytes and absolute lymphocyte count were greater in OHNS group, and same between survivors and IHNS. After 7 days, we noticed increase in leukocyte and neutrophils count among IHNS. Assessing of complete blood count, differential blood count, reactants of acute infection and combination of their ratios might predict worse outcome in nursing home residents due to coronavirus infection.
Keywords
COVID-19; coronavirus; nursing care home; elderly; mortality; laboratory medicine
Hrčak ID:
249359
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2020.
Visits: 1.739 *