Predictors of COVID-19 related death in elderly patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection: a cross-sectional study in the west of Iran

AIM: Identifying risk factors associated with mortality in elderly patients hospitalized with COVID-19 can be helpful in managing the disease in this age group. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the risk factors of death in elderly patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Hamadan in 2020. SUBJECT AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on the medical records of 1694 patients aged 60 years and older who were diagnosed with COVID-19 disease between March and August 2020 and were admitted to Shahid Beheshti and Sina Hospitals. A researcher-made checklist included demographic information, clinical information, laboratory results, type of procedures performed for the patient in the hospital, and the number of hospitalization days. RESULTS: The results showed that 30% of the elderly patients died due to COVID-19 complications. The results of adapted logistic regression showed that the variables of gender, age, inpatient ward and laboratory indices of albumin, hemoglobin, ESR, and LDH were the main predictors of COVID-19 related death in elderly patients (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The rate of COVID-19 related death in the hospitalized elderly patients is remarkable. The death rate increased among male patients, age older than 75 years, hospitalization in the ICU, increased ESR and HDR levels, and decreased albumin and hemoglobin.