Epidemiological profile of COVID-19 among older adults: An experience from Iran

Background: Older adults are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 disease, with a slower immune response and reduced effectiveness. Objective: Epidemiological profile of COVID-19 among older adults. Methods: This multicenter study was designed based on the Medical Care Monitoring System (MCMC) to assess the prevalence and impact of COVID-19 in the elderly population in northern Iran (Guilan province) from February 2019 to February 2021. Results: The study included 42,481 elderly individuals aged 60 and above hospitalized due to COVID-19 during the study period. Of these, 22,026 (52%) were male and 20,455 (48%) were female. Nearly 10% of the older adults in the Guilan province required hospitalization due to COVID-19. Among the hospitalized patients, 14% succumbed to the disease. Of the total deaths, 3,084 patients (49%) tested positive for COVID-19 through PCR testing. The most common comorbidities among the deceased patients were cardiovascular diseases (25.3%) and diabetes (24.3%). The study found significant associations between gender and age, age and mortality rates, clinical symptoms, and mortality rates regarding disease occurrence. Conclusion: Due to the increasing number of older adults, special attention should be paid to diabetic and cardiovascular patients, especially men, during epidemics and pandemics. It is important to train staff in private hospitals to be prepared for epidemics and to use the referral system at the health service level to reduce the burden of hospital visits