Impact of Baseline Patient Characteristics on Short- and Long-Term Overall Mortality in Elderly Patients with COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Aim: Elderly people encounter COVID-19 more frequently due to physiological changes associated with aging and underlying potential health conditions.The study aims to evaluate the impact of baseline patient characteristics on short- and long-term mortality in elderly patients aged 65 and over, classified as youngest-old, middle-aged, or oldest-old, who applied to the pandemic outpatient clinic and had not yet been vaccinated. Materials and Methods: Symptomatic patients who attended the emergency department were enrolled in the study. Demographic data, symptoms, comorbidities, thoracic computed tomography (CT), and laboratory results were recorded at admission. The primary outcomes were all-cause short-term (within six months) and long-term (within four years) mortality. Results: The study consists of 393 participants, with a mean age of 67.4 ± 9.8 years and 52.2% male. Considering the death rates in the last four years, it was determined that 72 (18.3%) cases died in the short term, and 104 (26.5%) cases died in the long term. It was found that chronic renal failure (CRF), coronary artery disease (CAD), middle-old and oldest-old-aged patients compared to the 50-64 age group were independent predictors of overall short-term mortality. It was determined that the following factors independently predicted overall long-term mortality: male gender, CAD, malignancy, CRF, fever, and dyspnea symptoms, and the patients of the youngest-old, middle-old, and oldest-old relative to the 50–64 age group. Conclusion: Advanced age, male gender, symptoms of shortness of breath and fever, high D-dimer levels, the presence of CAD, malignancy, and CRF were related to a higher risk of death from COVID-19 infection in the elderly.