Asma Alanazi; Abdulaziz Alturki; Mohammed Alosaimi; Nawaf Alnajmi; Mohammed Alrajeh; Abdullah Kentab; Faridah Habib
Abstract
Although a wealth of research exists on the typical traits of ICU patients suffering from COVID-19, targeted studies focusing on Saudi Arabia are relatively scarce. We executed a detailed ...
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Although a wealth of research exists on the typical traits of ICU patients suffering from COVID-19, targeted studies focusing on Saudi Arabia are relatively scarce. We executed a detailed cross-sectional investigation to pinpoint frequent comorbidities and risk variables in critically sick individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 at the National Guard Hospital. The timeframe for the study spanned from March 2, 2020, to March 20, 2021. Information was culled from King Abdulaziz Medical City's BEST care database and statistically analyzed using SPSS software. Our study comprised 385 ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients. The mean age was 60.85 years with a standard deviation of 20.46 years; 60.85% were men and 39.2% were women. A notable positive correlation was observed between the severity of symptoms and age, validated by a p-value of 0.002. Patients, on average, stayed in the hospital for 21.85 days with a standard deviation of 28.47 days. The mortality rate was roughly 37.4%, whereas around 62.6% recovered and were released from the hospital. In the context of the National Guard Health Affairs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 75.3% had respiratory issues. Among the patients, 55.1% (or 212 individuals) had diabetes mellitus and 52.7% (or 203 individuals) suffered from high blood pressure. A significant link was found between individuals with gastrointestinal tract (GIT) complications and increased symptom severity, confirmed by a p-value of 0.000. In addition, hypertension was strongly associated with worsening COVID-19 symptoms, substantiated by a p-value of 0.017. Patients who have COVID-19 in conjunction with gastrointestinal problems or hypertension are at a greater risk for developing severe symptoms. Moreover, advancing age stands out as an additional risk factor contributing to heightened symptom severity.
