Hypertension and obesity were the most common comorbidities seen in patients hospitalized for COVID-19, researchers found.
Of 178 patients with data on underlying conditions, 49.7% had hypertension, 48.3% had obesity, about 35% reported chronic lung conditions such as asthma, and diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease were seen in 28% each, reported Shikha Garg, MD, of the CDC, and colleagues in an early release.
In terms of age, hospitalization rates were highest among adults ages 65 and older (13.8 per 100,000), the authors wrote
Notably, of 580 patients with available race/ethnicity data, 45% were non-Hispanic white, while 33% were non-Hispanic black, with Garg and colleagues saying this suggests "black populations might be disproportionately affected by COVID-19."
At a White House coronavirus task force briefing on Tuesday, officials suggested this may be due partly to healthcare disparities and partly to higher rates of chronic health problems in African Americans.
Garg and colleagues examined data from the , a CDC system set up along the same lines as other surveillance programs for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. COVID-19 data were from 1,482 patients hospitalized in 14 states. Hospitalization data were from March 1-28, 2020, while clinical data were for March 1-30.
About three-quarters of patients were older than age 50, and about 54% were men. The overall hospitalization rate during this 4-week time period was 4.6 per 100,000. Hospitalization rates increased with age, ranging from 0.1 per 100,000 among children ages 5-17 to 17.2 per 100,000 among adults ages 85 and older.
While about 43% of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations were among adults ages 65 and older and 31% were among adults ages 50-64, about a quarter were among adults ages 18-49, confirming earlier data that .
In patients with data on underlying conditions, obesity was the most common among adults ages 18-49 and 50-64; hypertension was the most common among those 65 and older.
Among 167 patients with available data, median interval from symptom onset to hospitalization was 7 days. Nearly all patients reported cough or fever/chills, and 80% reported shortness of breath. However, gastrointestinal symptoms were also fairly common, with about a quarter reporting diarrhea or nausea/vomiting.
Interestingly, the authors said the prevalence of several underlying conditions identified through COVID-NET were similar to those among influenza patients, according to FluSurv-NET data.
Disclosures
Garg disclosed no conflicts of interest.
Other co-authors disclosed support from Merck, AbbVie, Pfizer, MedImmune, Regeneron, PaxVax, Pfizer, GSK, Novavax, Sanofi-Pasteur, Micron, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, Roche Diagnostics, PepsiCo, and Seqirus.
One co-author disclosed being co-editor for a book on public health and an associate editor for the American Academy of Pediatrics Report of the Committee of Infectious Diseases (Red Book).
Primary Source
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Garg S, et al "Hospitalization Rates and Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized with Laboratory-Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 -- COVID-NET, 14 States, March 1–30, 2020" MMWR 2020.