Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Poland: a study based on data from a national hospital register.

INTRODUCTION COVID‑19 has been identified by the World Health Organization as a pandemic. Poland introduced extensive antiepidemic measures relatively early in order to slow down the spread of the disease. OBJECTIVES The study aims to present recent data on COVID‑19 hospitalizations during the first months of the disease outbreak in Poland. PATIENTS AND METHODS This is a retrospective, population‑based study conducted using hospital discharge records that included a diagnosis of COVID-19. Data were obtained from the National Institute of Public Health, where they had been originally collected for a Polish hospital morbidity study. They included 8840 hospitalization records from the period between February and September 2020. RESULTS Overall, there were 8252 records of patients hospitalized for COVID‑19 for the first time, which accounted for 93% of all hospitalizations. The study group consisted of 4161 men (50.4%) and 4091 women (49.6%). Significantly more patients from urban than rural areas were hospitalized (21.8 per 100 000 vs 20.5 per 100 000; P <0.02). In the period subject to analysis, 1073 in‑hospital deaths were observed (13% of all patients), 965 of which occurred during first‑time hospitalizations (11.7% of all patients). In the study group, patients who died during hospitalization compared with those who survived hospitalization were significantly older, more frequently lived in urban areas, and had more comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS The findings of our study, especially the differences between survivors and nonsurvivors with COVID-19, may be helpful in recognizing patients requiring special medical care and preventive measures during hospitalization.