The Comorbidities and it Impact on the outcome of COVID-19 Patients

Background: The existence of associated diseases presents a major clinical challenge in the  approach and management of COVID-19 patients. Objectives: To study the effect of common  comorbidities on the severity, outcome, and duration of hospital stay among confirmed COVID 19 cases. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study. A 2574 conditions were involved in the  current study. All the PCR confirmed cases in 2 COVID-19 centers at Babylon province/Iraq were  included for the period from March till September 2020. A constructed questionnaire used as a  method of data collection which including socio-demographic data, clinical presentation of the  infection and its severity, associated comorbidities that the patient may suffer from and the duration of hospital stay and outcome. Results: the study shown that the mean of age 48.7 (±16.4)  years, Diabetes Mellitus was the most prevalent associated comorbidity (25.0%), then hypertension with a prevalence of (23.4%), (84.0%) of the patients who had comorbidities had severe/critical illness compared to (54.1%) for patients who are free from comorbid illnesses with  significant P value of (0.001), case-mortality ratio was 26.4% among patients with comorbidities  compared to 10.6% among the patients free from comorbidity (P<0.001). Conclusions: associated  diseases had significant impact on the severity of the duration and outcome of COVID-19  infection, patients with comorbidities must have additional preventive measures and they should  be at the beginning in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to prevent the deteriorations and bad  consequences.