Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics and outcome of COVID-19 patients admitted during the four pandemic waves.
| Variables | Total | First wave | Second wave | Third wave | Fourth wave | Overall p-values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 527) | (n = 59) | (n = 143) | (n = 152) | (n = 173) | ||
| Male sex (N, %) | 299 (56%) | 27 (46%) | 83 (52%) | 84 (55%) | 105 (61%) | 0.2404 |
| Age (years, mean ± SD) | 67.8 ± 15.7 | 77 ± 15 | 66.8 ± 15.4 | 63.4 ± 14.7 | 69.7 ± 15.8 | <0.001 |
| Length-of-Stay (days, mean ± SD) | 15.4 ± 10.8 | 21.8 ± 12 | 14.6 ± 10.1 | 14.5 ± 10.3 | 14.7 ± 10.9 | <0.001 |
| Cancer (N, %) | 78 (14%) | 8 (14%) | 14 (10%) | 7 (5%) | 49 (28%) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension (N, %) | 334 (63%) | 38 (64%) | 90 (63%) | 88 (58%) | 118 (68%) | 0.2905 |
| CVDa other than hypertension (N, %) | 190 (36%) | 25 (42%) | 39 (27%) | 38 (25%) | 88 (51%) | <0.001 |
| Psychiatric disorders (N, %) | 71 (13%) | 16 (27%) | 14 (10%) | 20 (13%) | 21 (12%) | 0.0732 |
| Neurologic diseases (N, %) | 116 (22%) | 27 (46%) | 25 (17%) | 18 (12%) | 46 (27%) | <0.001 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease (N, %) | 86 (16%) | 12 (20%) | 26 (18%) | 14 (9%) | 34 (20%) | 0.0311 |
| Diabetes mellitus (N, %) | 144 (27%) | 14 (24%) | 37 (26%) | 31 (20%) | 62 (36%) | 0.0162 |
| Chronic kidney disease (N, %) | 105 (19%) | 21 (36%) | 16 (11%) | 10 (7%) | 58 (34%) | <0.001 |
| Obesity (N, %) | 172 (32%) | 8 (14%) | 50 (35%) | 50 (33%) | 64 (37%) | 0.0052 |
| COVID-19 symptoms (N, %) | 445 (84%) | 51 (86%) | 122 (85%) | 140 (92%) | 132 (72%) | 0.0847 |
| Fever (N, %) | 287 (54%) | 41 (69%) | 96 (67%) | 91 (60%) | 59 (34%) | 0.0326 |
| Cough (N, %) | 234 (44%) | 21 (36%) | 66 (46%) | 67 (44%) | 80 (46%) | 0.0426 |
| Dyspnoea (N, %) | 231 (43%) | 12 (20%) | 66 (46%) | 79 (52%) | 74 (43%) | 0.0003 |
| Diarrhoea (N, %) | 20 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (3%) | 11 (7%) | 5 (3%) | NA |
| Asthenia (N, %) | 159 (30%) | 3 (1%) | 56 (39%) | 52 (34%) | 48 (28%) | <0.001 |
| Number of medications before admission (mean ± SD) | 4.5 ± 3.8 | 5.4 ± 3.5 | 3.9 ± 3.4 | 3.4 ± 3.5 | 5.8 ± 4.2 | <0.001 |
| Oxygen therapy (N, %) | 378 (71%) | 21 (36%) | 116 (81%) | 137 (90%) | 104 (60%) | <0.001 |
| Low-flow oxygen (N, %) | 195 (37%) | 16 (27%) | 60 (42%) | 77 (51%) | 42 (35%) | <0.001 |
| High-flow oxygen (N, %) | 65 (12%) | 3 (5%) | 17 (12%) | 23 (15%) | 22 (13%) | <0.001 |
| Non-invasive ventilation (N, %) | 71 (13%) | 0 (0%) | 21 (15%) | 21 (14%) | 29 (17%) | NA |
| Oro-tracheal intubation (N, %) | 47 (9%) | 2 (3%) | 18 (13%) | 16 (11%) | 11 (6%) | <0.001 |
| Anticoagulant drugs (N, %) | 487 (92%) | 58 (98%) | 141 (99%) | 146 (96%) | 142 (82%) | 0.0023 |
| Enoxaparin (N, %) | 446 (84%) | 54 (92%) | 139 (97%) | 141 (93%) | 112 (65%) | <0.001 |
| Fondaparinux (N, %) | 45 (8%) | 7 (12%) | 13 (9%) | 9 (6%) | 16 (9%) | 0.0023 |
| Antibiotics (N, %) | 379 (71%) | 55 (93%) | 115 (80%) | 100 (66%) | 109 (63%) | <0.001 |
| Azithromycin (N, %) | 102 (19%) | 49 (83%) | 44 (31%) | 3 (2%) | 6 (3%) | <0.001 |
| Ceftriaxone (N, %) | 210 (39%) | 5 (8%) | 95 (66%) | 79 (52%) | 31 (18%) | <0.001 |
| Corticosteroid therapy (N, %) | 384 (72%) | 36 (62%) | 121 (85%) | 131 (86%) | 96 (55%) | <0.001 |
| Remdesivir therapy (N, %) | 166 (31%) | 0 (0%) | 65 (45%) | 68 (45%) | 33 (19%) | <0.001 |
| Tocilizumab (N, %) | 30 (5%) | 5 (8%) | 8 (6%) | 7 (5%) | 10 (6%) | 0.1912 |
| Remdesivir short courseb (N, %) | 39 (7%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 39 (23%) | NAe |
| Monoclonal antibodies (N, %) | 85 (16%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 15 (10%) | 70 (40%) | NAe |
| Vaccination (N, %) | 133 (25%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 9 (6%) | 124 (72%) | NAe |
| WHOc scale 4–5 (N, %) | 344 (65%) | 54 (92%) | 87 (61%) | 92 (61%) | 111 (64%) | <0.001 |
| WHOc scale 6–9 (N, %) | 183 (34%) | 5 (8%) | 56 (39%) | 60 (39%) | 62 (36%) | <0.001 |
| ICUd stay (N, %) | 67 (12%) | 2 (3%) | 23 (16%) | 20 (13%) | 22 (13%) | <0.001 |
| Death (N, %) | 80 (15%) | 17 (29%) | 22 (15%) | 13 (9%) | 28 (16%) | 0.0038 |
Overall p-values reported, respectively, refers to Fisher exact test for contingency table or to Kruskal–Wallis rank sum test, according to counts or continuous data for all the four waves (i.e., Age and Length-of-Stay) (Catanzaro, Italy, 2020–2022). SD, standard deviation; aCVD, cardiovascular disease; bRemdesivir short course, early treatment with remdesivir; cWHO, world health organization scale of COVID-19 severity; dICU, intensive care unit; eNA, Not Applicable.