tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Int J Environ Res Public Health
. 2022 Feb 19;19(4):2424.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042424.
Bacterial Coinfections Increase Mortality of Severely Ill COVID-19 Patients in Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz Alqahtani[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Edrous Alamer[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Mushtaq Mir[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ali Alasmari[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mohammed Merae Alshahrani[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Mohammed Asiri[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Irfan Ahmad[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Abdulaziz Alhazmi[SUP] 2 6 [/SUP], Abdullah Algaissi[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic that is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The severity and mortality rates of COVID-19 are affected by several factors, such as respiratory diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. Bacterial coinfections are another factor that could contribute to the severity of COVID-19. Limited studies have investigated morbidity and mortality due to microbial coinfections in COVID-19 patients. Here, we retrospectively studied the effects of bacterial coinfections on intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted patients with COVID-19 in Asir province, Saudi Arabia. We analyzed electronic medical records of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 at Asir Central Hospital. A total of 34 patients were included, and the clinical data of 16 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 only and 18 patients coinfected with SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial infections were analyzed in our study. Our data showed that the length of stay at the hospital for patients infected with both SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial infection was 35.2 days, compared to 16.2 days for patients infected with only SARS-CoV-2 (p = 0.0001). In addition, higher mortality rates were associated with patients in the coinfection group compared to the SARS-CoV-2-only infected group (50% vs. 18.7%, respectively). The study also showed that gram-negative bacteria are the most commonly isolated bacteria in COVID-19 patients. To conclude, this study found that individuals with COVID-19 who presented with bacterial infections are at higher risk for a longer stay at the hospital and potentially death. Further studies with a larger population are warranted to better understand the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 with bacterial infections.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Saudi Arabia; bacteria; coinfection.
. 2022 Feb 19;19(4):2424.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042424.
Bacterial Coinfections Increase Mortality of Severely Ill COVID-19 Patients in Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz Alqahtani[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Edrous Alamer[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Mushtaq Mir[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ali Alasmari[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mohammed Merae Alshahrani[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Mohammed Asiri[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Irfan Ahmad[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Abdulaziz Alhazmi[SUP] 2 6 [/SUP], Abdullah Algaissi[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35206609
- DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19042424
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic that is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The severity and mortality rates of COVID-19 are affected by several factors, such as respiratory diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. Bacterial coinfections are another factor that could contribute to the severity of COVID-19. Limited studies have investigated morbidity and mortality due to microbial coinfections in COVID-19 patients. Here, we retrospectively studied the effects of bacterial coinfections on intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted patients with COVID-19 in Asir province, Saudi Arabia. We analyzed electronic medical records of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 at Asir Central Hospital. A total of 34 patients were included, and the clinical data of 16 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 only and 18 patients coinfected with SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial infections were analyzed in our study. Our data showed that the length of stay at the hospital for patients infected with both SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial infection was 35.2 days, compared to 16.2 days for patients infected with only SARS-CoV-2 (p = 0.0001). In addition, higher mortality rates were associated with patients in the coinfection group compared to the SARS-CoV-2-only infected group (50% vs. 18.7%, respectively). The study also showed that gram-negative bacteria are the most commonly isolated bacteria in COVID-19 patients. To conclude, this study found that individuals with COVID-19 who presented with bacterial infections are at higher risk for a longer stay at the hospital and potentially death. Further studies with a larger population are warranted to better understand the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 with bacterial infections.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Saudi Arabia; bacteria; coinfection.