Abstract
The number of hospitalized COVID patients varies in accordance with the waves of the pandemic. The aim of the study was to examine the characteristics of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and predictors of in-hospital died with special reference to the importance of comorbidity. A retrospective cohort study that included all COVID patients hospitalized at the Clinical Center Kragujevac in 2020. The data contained in the Hospitalization Report are described, and the predictors of hospital mortality are defined by binary logistic regression. 1336 COVID patients were hospitalized. The average age of the hospitalized patients was 58.1 ± 16.5 years, 2/3 of them were males. The largest number of hospitalized patients live in Kragujevac - 62.8%. During hospitalization, 19.4% (n = 206) of patients died, who were on average 13 years older (t = 14.13, df = 504.3, p <0.01), and stayed in the hospital 2 days shorter (Z = -5.36, p <0.01) when compared to discharged patients. 86.5% (n = 1155) of hospitalized patients had comorbidities, most often hypertension and other heart diseases, diabetes mellitus and renal failure. Statistically significant predictors of the lethal outcome of hospitalization were patients’ age (OR = 0.94 95% CI = 0.93-0.95), residence (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.75-0.95), length of hospitalization (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.04-1.09) and the presence of comorbidity as the strongest predictor (OR = 5.31, 95% CI = 2.37-11.89). COVID Patients with comorbidities require special attention because comorbidities affect the outcome of hospitalization.