The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State.
The study, published online yesterday in the Journal of Gerontology, also evaluates demographic factors and clinical outcomes that are associated with this atypical symptomatology.
Scientists examined the electronic health records of 4,961 patients who were admitted across Northwell Health hospitals, the largest health system in New York State, during the nation's initial surge of COVID-19 between March 1 and April 20, 2020, with a confirmed COVID diagnosis.
Each patient's clinical course and outcomes were followed until June 10, 2020.
While many of the older adults presented with typical COVID-19 symptoms, including shortness of breath (50 %), fever and chills (38 %) and cough (26 %), substantial numbers of older adults also presented atypically, characterized by functional decline (25 %) and altered mental status (11 %).
Other symptoms included gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and neurological. Of those with atypical presentation, nearly half (49 %) had atypical symptoms alone, and 51 % had both atypical and typical symptoms and signs.
The average hospital length of stay was 10 days and less than 7% were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. Overall, 23% of the patients received intensive care unit level of care.
Patients with atypical presentations were more likely to be older, female, Black, non-Hispanic, with a higher comorbidity index and have dementia and/or diabetes.
While the results found that atypical presentation in older adults does not necessitate the same need for Intensive Care Unit -level care as typical presentation (often characterized by respiratory distress), it should not be dismissed.
Patients presenting atypically have just as poor short-term outcomes as those older adults presenting typically.
As COVID-19 numbers decline and testing may become less a standard as it once was, the conclusions from this study highlight the need for heightened awareness when it comes to older patients and how they may present with COVID-19, which at times could be with weakness and/or confusion as their only symptoms.
These findings have been thus far largely unexplored in the research community with the goal of this work and future research is to aid clinicians who are faced with the challenge of determining if their older adult patients should be tested for COVID-19 and potential outcomes.
This study was done in collaboration with Northwell Health's Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. During the pandemic, they assembled a research workgroup to focus on COVID-19 and the geriatric population.
The Older Adult COVID Workgroup is part of CAARE (Collaboration of Aging and Advanced Illness Research and Education), the research arm of the Division, which sits within the Department of Medicine. Their work aims to examine geriatrics-relevant factors that significantly impact decisions around medical care and response to treatments.
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State.
Home to 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, and molecular medicine.
vTv Therapeutics secures USD51m private placement for cadisegliatin Phase 3 study
AbbVie names new chief executive officer
SkinBioTherapeutics expands foot care products in AMEA with Dermatonics partnership
Diamyd Medical granted US FDA Fast Track designation for Diamyd diabetes treatment
Insulet's Omnipod 5 integration with Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 Plus Sensor secures CE Mark approval
Kyowa Kirin enrols first subject in phase two tivozanib eye drops (KHK4951) clinical trial
China accepts GSK's Shingrix application for at-risk adults
Novo Nordisk to boost manufacturing capacity with acquisition of three fill-finish sites
Breye Therapeutics commences phase 1b/2a danegaptide clinical trial
DexCom Inc breaks ground on new manufacturing facility in Ireland
VibroSense Dynamics AB secures provisional patent for chemotherapy-induced nerve damage prediction
Innovent Biologics signs collaboration agreement with Sanegene Bio USA
Japan approves GSK's filing for Arexvy vaccination for at-risk adults