Causes of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19
Abstract Infection by the new corona virus strain SARS-CoV-2 and its related syndrome COVID-19 has been associated with more than two million deaths worldwide. Patients of higher age and with preexisting chronic health conditions are at an increased risk of fatal disease outcome. However, detailed i...
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Nature Portfolio
2021
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oai:doaj.org-article:87b08c6236304a3d8e02d2752ab143b82021-12-02T14:21:42ZCauses of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-1910.1038/s41598-021-82862-52045-2322https://doaj.org/article/87b08c6236304a3d8e02d2752ab143b82021-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82862-5https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Infection by the new corona virus strain SARS-CoV-2 and its related syndrome COVID-19 has been associated with more than two million deaths worldwide. Patients of higher age and with preexisting chronic health conditions are at an increased risk of fatal disease outcome. However, detailed information on causes of death and the contribution of pre-existing health conditions to death yet is missing, which can be reliably established by autopsy only. We performed full body autopsies on 26 patients that had died after SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 at the Charité University Hospital Berlin, Germany, or at associated teaching hospitals. We systematically evaluated causes of death and pre-existing health conditions. Additionally, clinical records and death certificates were evaluated. We report findings on causes of death and comorbidities of 26 decedents that had clinically presented with severe COVID-19. We found that septic shock and multi organ failure was the most common immediate cause of death, often due to suppurative pulmonary infection. Respiratory failure due to diffuse alveolar damage presented as immediate cause of death in fewer cases. Several comorbidities, such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and obesity were present in the vast majority of patients. Our findings reveal that causes of death were directly related to COVID-19 in the majority of decedents, while they appear not to be an immediate result of preexisting health conditions and comorbidities. We therefore suggest that the majority of patients had died of COVID-19 with only contributory implications of preexisting health conditions to the mechanism of death.Sefer ElezkurtajSelina GreuelJana IhlowEdward Georg MichaelisPhilip BischoffCatarina Alisa KunzeBruno Valentin SinnManuela GerholdKathrin HauptmannBarbara Ingold-HeppnerFlorian MillerHermann HerbstVictor Max CormanHubert MartinHelena RadbruchFrank L. HeppnerDavid HorstNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021) |
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Medicine R Science Q Sefer Elezkurtaj Selina Greuel Jana Ihlow Edward Georg Michaelis Philip Bischoff Catarina Alisa Kunze Bruno Valentin Sinn Manuela Gerhold Kathrin Hauptmann Barbara Ingold-Heppner Florian Miller Hermann Herbst Victor Max Corman Hubert Martin Helena Radbruch Frank L. Heppner David Horst Causes of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 |
| description |
Abstract Infection by the new corona virus strain SARS-CoV-2 and its related syndrome COVID-19 has been associated with more than two million deaths worldwide. Patients of higher age and with preexisting chronic health conditions are at an increased risk of fatal disease outcome. However, detailed information on causes of death and the contribution of pre-existing health conditions to death yet is missing, which can be reliably established by autopsy only. We performed full body autopsies on 26 patients that had died after SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 at the Charité University Hospital Berlin, Germany, or at associated teaching hospitals. We systematically evaluated causes of death and pre-existing health conditions. Additionally, clinical records and death certificates were evaluated. We report findings on causes of death and comorbidities of 26 decedents that had clinically presented with severe COVID-19. We found that septic shock and multi organ failure was the most common immediate cause of death, often due to suppurative pulmonary infection. Respiratory failure due to diffuse alveolar damage presented as immediate cause of death in fewer cases. Several comorbidities, such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and obesity were present in the vast majority of patients. Our findings reveal that causes of death were directly related to COVID-19 in the majority of decedents, while they appear not to be an immediate result of preexisting health conditions and comorbidities. We therefore suggest that the majority of patients had died of COVID-19 with only contributory implications of preexisting health conditions to the mechanism of death. |
| format |
article |
| author |
Sefer Elezkurtaj Selina Greuel Jana Ihlow Edward Georg Michaelis Philip Bischoff Catarina Alisa Kunze Bruno Valentin Sinn Manuela Gerhold Kathrin Hauptmann Barbara Ingold-Heppner Florian Miller Hermann Herbst Victor Max Corman Hubert Martin Helena Radbruch Frank L. Heppner David Horst |
| author_facet |
Sefer Elezkurtaj Selina Greuel Jana Ihlow Edward Georg Michaelis Philip Bischoff Catarina Alisa Kunze Bruno Valentin Sinn Manuela Gerhold Kathrin Hauptmann Barbara Ingold-Heppner Florian Miller Hermann Herbst Victor Max Corman Hubert Martin Helena Radbruch Frank L. Heppner David Horst |
| author_sort |
Sefer Elezkurtaj |
| title |
Causes of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 |
| title_short |
Causes of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 |
| title_full |
Causes of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr |
Causes of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Causes of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 |
| title_sort |
causes of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with covid-19 |
| publisher |
Nature Portfolio |
| publishDate |
2021 |
| url |
https://doaj.org/article/87b08c6236304a3d8e02d2752ab143b8 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
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1718391498778607616 |