• Krunoslav Capak, Ivana Brkić-Biloš, Verica Kralj, Tamara Poljičanin, Mario Šekerija, Pero Ivanko, Željka Draušnik, Sandra Mihel, Danijela Fuštin, Ivan Cerovečki, Marija Švajda, Jelena Dimnjaković, Gordan Sarajlić, and Tomislav Benjak.
• Tomislav Benjak, Croatian Institute of Public Health, Rockefellerova ulica 7, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, tomislav.benjak@hzjz.hr.
• Croat. Med. J. 2020 Dec 31; 61 (6): 518-524.

AimTo determine the prevalence of common somatic comorbidities among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive patients in Croatia in the first pandemic wave, and assess the differences in clinical outcomes depending on the presence of comorbidities.MethodsWe analyzed data from patients confirmed to be SARS-CoV-2-positive from February through May 2020. The data were obtained from clinical laboratories, primary health care providers, and hospitals. Previously recorded comorbidities, including diabetes, cancer, circulatory diseases, chronic pulmonary, and kidney disease, were analyzed.ResultsAmong 2249 patients, 46.0% were men (median age 51 years; median disease duration 27 days). Hospitalization was required for 41.8% patients, mechanical ventilation for 2.5%, while 4.7% of all patients died. Patients who died were significantly older (median 82 vs 50 years, P<0.001) with a higher prevalence of all investigated comorbidities (all p's <0.001), more frequently required mechanical ventilation (34% vs 1%, P<0.001), and had shorter length of hospital stay (median 13 vs 27 days, P<0.001) with no sex preponderance. Patients requiring mechanical ventilation were significantly older (median age 70 vs 51 years, P<0.001), more frequently men (59.6% vs 45.7%, P=0.037), showed a higher prevalence of all comorbidities except ischemic heart and chronic kidney disease (all p's <0.001), and demonstrated a higher case-fatality rate (63.2% vs 3.2%, P<0.001).ConclusionCOVID-19 patients who died in the first pandemic wave in Croatia were more likely to suffer previous somatic comorbidities. This corroborates the findings of similar studies and calls for further research into the underlying disease mechanisms, hence providing ground for more efficient preventive measures.

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