Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic and older people: what we know about the clinical, laboratory, imaging features, and clinical outcomes

Abstract

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an emerging and rapidly evolving situation. Older people represent a uniquely vulnerable group during any infectious disease outbreaks due to their altered physiology, increased susceptibility to infections, presence of comorbidities, malnutrition, and compromised immunological and mechanical functions. The clinical symptoms, laboratory, and imaging features of SARS-CoV-2 are similar to younger adults but rapid disease progression, a high proportion of severe to critical cases, and a high fatality rate are more observed in the older people. To date, no targeted therapy is available for SARS-CoV-2, many drugs are still being tested for efficacy and safety due to the novelty of the virus and little knowledge about it among the older people. In this article, we summarize the clinical, laboratory, radiological features, and clinical outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the older people and present the predictive factors associated with fatal clinical outcomes among them.