Long-Term Mortality in Very Old Survivors of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES

This report aimed to describe mortality at 18 months in older survivors of the first wave of COVID-19.

DESIGN

Observational cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Patients aged ≥65 years hospitalized for COVID-19 in the acute geriatric wards of 2 centers.

METHODS

Characteristics of deceased and survivors were compared by Fisher exact, Mann-Whitney U, or 2-tailed t tests. Survival rates were analysed by Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS

Of a total of 323 patients admitted during the first wave, 196 survived the acute phase, with 34 patients who died in the 18 months after hospital discharge (17.3%). Higher mortality was observed in patients living in nursing homes (P = .033) and in those who were hospitalized after discharge during the follow-up period (97.1% vs 72.8%, P = .001). There was no difference in survival curves according to age, sex, presence of dyspnea, and dementia. Living in a nursing home significantly increased the mortality rates in the multivariate model adjusted for age and sex (hazard ratio 3.07, 95% CI 1.47-6.40; P = .007).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

No excess mortality was observed during 18 months in older survivors of COVID-19. Living in a nursing home was associated with decreased survival rates.