Clinical manifestations and factors associated with mortality from COVID‐19 in older adults: Retrospective population‐based study with 9807 older Brazilian COVID‐19 patients

Aim Older adults are the main risk group for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). This study aimed to describe the clinical manifestations and factors associated with mortality from COVID‐19 among older adults in Brazil. Methods A cross‐sectional observational study was carried out with data from 9807 cases of COVID‐19 among older adults in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. We determined the case fatality rate between age groups and clinical factors associated with mortality. Results A total of 52.5% (n = 5145) were women, and with an average age of 70.21 ± 8.37 years. The fatality rate was 11.9%, with a higher rate in men (14.4%) compared with women (9.8%). The fatality rate increased with age. The most common manifestations were fever (n = 4926; 50.2%), cough (n = 5737; 58.5%), headache (n = 1980; 20.2%) and fatigue (n = 2022; 20.6%). The most prevalent comorbidities were diabetes (n = 1528; 5.6%), cardiovascular disease (n = 1528; 15.6%) and systemic arterial hypertension (n = 597; 6.1%). The factors associated with mortality were male sex (OR 1.54), age ≥75 years (OR 2.40), dyspnea (OR 2.92), diabetes (OR 2.33), hypertension (OR 1.53) and chronic kidney disease (OR 2.02). Conclusions The profile and the risk factors evidenced show the need to adopt mechanisms to protect the elderly population. Key points The case fatality rate was 11.9%, with a higher rate in men (14.4%) compared to women (9.8%). The case fatality rate increased with age, with 7.5% in the elderly aged 60–70 years and reaching 26.2% in those over 90 years of age. Individuals with 75 or more had 2.8 more chances of death. The factors associated with mortality were male sex (OR 1.54), age ≥ 75 years (OR 2.40), dyspnea (OR 2.92), diabetes (OR 2.33), hypertension (OR 1.53) and chronic kidney disease (OR 2.02). Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 1177–1181.