Pre-existing traits associated with Covid-19 illness severity

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236240
• Publication Date: 2020-07-23T17:53:55Z
• Authors: Joseph E. Ebinger; Natalie Achamallah; Hongwei Ji; Brian L. Claggett; Nancy Sun; Patrick Botting; Trevor-Trung Nguyen; Eric Luong; Elizabeth H. Kim; Eunice Park; Yunxian Liu; Ryan Rosenberry; Yuri Matusov; Steven Zhao; Isabel Pedraza; Tanzira Zaman; Michael Thompson; Koen Raedschelders; Anders H. Berg; Jonathan D. Grein; Paul W. Noble; Sumeet S. Chugh; C. Noel Bairey Merz; Eduardo Marbán; Jennifer E. Van Eyk; Scott D. Solomon; Christine M. Albert; Peter Chen; Susan Cheng
• Keywords: Illness severity

Importance Certain individuals, when infected by SARS-CoV-2, tend to develop the more severe forms of Covid-19 illness for reasons that remain unclear. Objective To determine demographic and clinical characteristics associated with increased severity infection. Design Retrospective observational study. We curated data from electronic health record, used multivariable logistic regression examine association pre-existing traits a defined level required care: need hospital admission, intensive care, intubation. Setting A large, multihospital healthcare system in Southern California. Participants All patients confirmed infection (N = 442). Results Of all studied, 48% hospitalization, 17% 12% In multivariable-adjusted analyses, requiring higher levels care were likely be older (OR 1.5 per 10 years, P<0.001), male 2.0, P 0.001), African American 2.1, 0.011), obese 0.021), diabetes mellitus 1.8, 0.037), comorbidity index 1.8 SD, P<0.001). Several associations pronounced younger compared (Pinteraction<0.05). hospitalized patients, males 2.5, 0.003) irrespective age, race, or morbidity profile. Conclusions relevance our system, greater is seen who are older, male, American, obese, diabetes, overall burden. comorbidities paradoxically augment risk extent patients. sex main determinant needing care. Further investigation needed understand mechanisms underlying these findings.