Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of COVID-19 in Colombian Adults: A
retrospective multicenter study
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a
systemic infection that ranges from asymptomatic to severe respiratory
tract infections and influenza-like illness to severe disease with
respiratory failure from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The
leading cause of mortality for SARS-CoV-2 is respiratory failure from
ARDS. This study aimed to summarize the clinical outcomes of severe
acute respiratory infection produced by SARS-CoV-2 in 293 Colombian
adults. This retrospective study analyzed the clinical outcomes of
severe acute respiratory infection produced by SARS-CoV-2 in 293
Colombian adults. The study collected data on age, clinical
manifestations, comorbidities, radiological findings, and fatal cases.
It was found that patients over 60 years old (53%) suffered the most
severe symptoms, with frequent clinical manifestations of dyspnea
(60.6%), cough (46.3%), and changes in osmotic diuresis (29.3%).
About 55.3% of the patients had comorbidities, where cardiovascular
disease (54.9%) was the most frequent coexisting condition. Regarding
radiological findings, alveolar infiltrate and ground glass
opacifications had the biggest frequency (58.9% and 40.7%,
respectively). Fatal cases detected were 45.4%, where patients over 60
years (66.2%) were severely affected, however, adults from 40-59 years
had a 27.8% mortality rate. Tachycardia and elevated serum biomarkers
-ureic nitrogen, creatinine, D-dimer, troponin, LDH, AST, and ALT
levels- were significantly more frequent in fatal cases compared to
non-fatal patients. In conclusion, this study showed the clinical
spectrum of severe acute respiratory infection produced by SARS-CoV-2 in
Colombian adults, which is still having an active circulation and
causing severe or fatal outcomes.