Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of enrolled patients according to increase in frailty as assessed by the Clinical Frailty Scale at 1-year follow-up. Logistic model chi-square = 16.167, p < 0.001; log-likelihood = 294.693. Expected survival at 1 year was calculated based on the data obtained from the Italian Registry of the population in 2019. Time was calculated from index ED admission for COVID. Proportions are reported as row percentages.
| Stable Frailty N 149 |
Increased Frailty N 87 | p Value | Odds Ratio [95% Confidence Interval] | Multivariate p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 84 [81, 86] | 84 [81, 88] | 0.06 | 1.04 [0.96, 1.12] | 0.35 |
| Age 80–85 years | 87 (66.2%) | 44 (6%) | |||
| Age 85–89 years | 44 (58.7%) | 31 (41.3%) | 0.37 | ||
| Age 90–94 years | 13 (54.2%) | 11 (45.8%) | |||
| Age ≥ 95 years | 5 (83.3%) | 1 (16.7%) | |||
| Expected Survival/1 year | 69.4% [49.7, 69.4] | 69.4% [49.7, 69.4] | 0.30 | ||
| Sex (male) | 81 (69.8%) | 34 (30.2%) | 0.02 | 0.61 [0.35, 1.07] | 0.10 |
| CFS pre-COVID | 4 [3, 5] | 4 [3, 5] | 0.12 | 0.96 [0.75, 1.24] | 0.77 |
| Resident in nursing home | 23 (54.8%) | 19 (45.2%) | 0.26 | ||
| Autonomous in ADL pre-COVID | 121 (65.0%) | 61 (35.0%) | 0.05 | 0.51 [0.17, 1.50] | 0.20 |
| EQ-5D-5L before COVID | 7 [5, 10] | 9 [6.75, 12] | <0.01 | 1.12 [1.01, 1.24] | 0.03 |
| Clinical characteristics of the COVID-19 disease | |||||
| PaO2/FiO2 at ED admission | 290 [259, 335] | 290 [213, 359] | 0.72 | ||
| NEWS at ED admission | 5 [4.5, 6] | 6 [4.5, 7] | 0.36 | ||
| NEWS > 5 at ED admission | 2 (33.3%) | 4 (66.7%) | 0.12 | ||
| Consolidation at chest X-ray | 125 (61.5%) | 76 (38.5%) | 0.47 | ||
| Delirium | 10 (71.4%) | 4 (28.6%) | 0.51 | ||
| Mechanical ventilation | 55 (67.9%) | 26 (32.1%) | 0.27 | ||
| Length of hospital stay (days) | 12.7 [7.4, 19.4] | 14.0 [8.4, 27.3] | 0.05 | ||
| Comorbidities | |||||
| CCI | 5 [4, 6] | 5 [4, 6] | 0.73 | ||
| Comorbidities ≥ 3 | 47 (68.1%) | 22 (31.9%) | 0.31 | ||
| Hypertension | 74 (61.7%) | 46 (38.3%) | 0.63 | ||
| History of CAD | 27 (72.9%) | 10 (27.1%) | 0.18 | ||
| Congestive heart failure | 20 (62.5%) | 12 (37.5%) | 0.94 | ||
| Cerebrovascular disease | 3 (50.0%) | 3 (50.0%) | 0.67 | ||
| Dementia | 15 (53.6%) | 13 (46.4%) | 0.26 | ||
| COPD | 19 (52.8%) | 17 (47.2%) | 0.16 | ||
| Diabetes | 34 (64.1%) | 19 (35.8%) | 0.86 | ||
| Chronic kidney disease | 12 (63.1%) | 7 (26.9%) | 0.99 | ||
| Malignancy | 1 (33.3%) | 2 (66.7%) | 0.28 | ||
| Outcomes at Follow-up | |||||
| Follow-up (months) | 16 [15, 18] | 17 [16, 18] | 0.06 | ||
| CFS post-COVID | 4 [3, 5] | 6 [6, 7] | <0.01 | ||
| EQ-5D-5L 1 year after COVID | 8 [6, 11] | 12 [9, 16] | <0.01 | ||
| Persistent COVID symptoms | 0 [0, 1] | 0.5 [0, 1] | 0.01 | ||
| Re-hospitalization <1 year | 31 (63.2%) | 18 (36.7%) | 0.97 | ||
Abbreviations: CFS: Clinical Frailty Scale; EQ-5D-5L: five-level EQ-5D; CCI: Charlson Comorbidity Index; ADL: activities of daily living; CAD: coronary artery disease; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary Disease; NEWS: national early warning score.