A national study of 20,000 patients conducted by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has identified the underlying conditions that are associated with more severe outcomes from COVID-19 in an Irish setting.
The study took place during the first wave of the pandemic between March and July 2020, and is the first national surveillance study in Ireland to capture data from both hospital and community settings. HPSC collected data for almost 20,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The association between underlying conditions and more severe outcomes from COVID-19 was examined, including mortality, admission to hospital or admission to ICU.
Amongst the patients studied, there were 1,476 (7.5%) deaths, 2,811 (14%) hospitalisations and 438 (2%) ICU admissions. The conditions that were identified as carrying the most risk were chronic heart disease, a chronic neurological condition, chronic kidney disease and cancer. Patients who were morbidly obese (defined as a Body Mass Index equal to or greater than 40) were also identified as being at higher risk of more severe outcomes from COVID-19.
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The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. Study Paper:
