Higher COVID fatality reported in patients below 50 compared to 65+ age group, suggests AIIMS study

NEW DELHI: COVID-19 fatality in people under the age of 50 is higher than those above the age of 65, a single-center retrospective study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has suggested.

A study published in the Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, authored by AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, Chief of the AIIMS trauma center Dr Rajesh Malthotra, and several others, covered deceased adult patients who were admitted between April 4 to July 24, 2020.

This study aimed to describe the clinic epidemiological feature and the causes of mortality of patients admitted in dedicated covid centres in India.

During the study period, a total of 654 adult patients were admitted to the ICU, out of which, 247 died. A mortality per cent of 37.7 per cent was recorded (247 out of 654). Adult patients were further divided into age groups of 18 to 50, 51 to 65 and above 65, to compare their clinical characteristics and outcomes.

The study shows 42.1 per cent were between 18-50, 34.8 per cent from 51-65 and 23.1 per cent above 65.

The most common comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease along with the most common presenting features being fever cough and shortness of breath.

Data of all the patients who died in the ICU were collected from their electronic medic report, patients daily progress chart as well as nursing notes.

In different studies, ICU mortality among covid patients varies between 8.0 pc to 66.7 pc.

"In our center, however, the hospital mortality was 18.2 pc and ICU mortality was 36.1 per cent," the study noted. Similar mortality rates were reported from other countries such as the US, Spain, Italy.

46 Pediatric were admitted during this period out of which six died of Covid. The ICU mortality among the Pediatric group was 13 per cent.