1.Clinical profile and outcomes of COVID-19 positive patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in a tertiary government COVID-19 referral center
Mary Bianca Doreen F. Ditching ; Joel M. Santiague
Acta Medica Philippina 2025;59(1):41-47
INTRODUCTION
It is anticipated that Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has greater risk in acquiring COVID-19 infection and poorer outcome. However, current worldwide data are conflicting.
OBJECTIVESThis study primarily aims to compare the outcomes of COVID-19 patients with COPD and those without COPD in terms of length of hospital stay (LOS), recovery or mortality, treatment received, and predictors of mortality.
METHODSThis is a retrospective cohort chart review of 1,017 admitted adult COVID-19 patients from July to December 2020. Age, gender, smoking status, current control and medications for COPD, COVID-19 severity, symptoms, treatment, and outcomes of the two study groups were compared.
RESULTSPrevalence rate of COPD was 3.8%. COVID-19 patients with COPD were older (median age of 69 vs 54, pCONCLUSION
COPD increases the risk for severe COVID-19 and lengthens LOS.
Human ; Covid-19 ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Mortality
2.Identifying COVID-19 confirmed patients at elevated risk for mortality and need of mechanical ventilation using a novel criteria for Hyperinflammatory Syndrome: A retrospective cohort, single-center, validation study
Jayvee Rho-an D. Descalsota ; Abdul Walli R. Cana ; Inofel I. Chin ; Jessie F. Orcasitas
Acta Medica Philippina 2025;59(3):104-115
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
A mounting evidence links dysregulated immune response to cases of fatal pneumonia seen in COVID-19 infection. We aimed to validate the COVID-19-associated Hyperinflammatory Syndrome (cHIS) score, a novel clinical tool devised to identify those at risk for adverse outcomes, in a local population and investigate the relationship of cHIS score taken at admission and the risk of mortality and the need of mechanical ventilation.
METHODSThis retrospective cohort study analyzed the sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data of 1,881 COVID-19 patients admitted at a tertiary hospital in Davao City, Philippines from January to December 2021. We calculated the cHIS score, composed of six clinical and laboratory criteria from admission, and used multivariate logistic regression to determine the risk of mortality and need of mechanical ventilation.
RESULTSThe cHIS score taken at admission, regardless of cut-off value, was a significant predictor of mortality (OR 0.979 [99% CI 0.894-1.064]) and need of mechanical ventilation (OR 0.586 [99% CI 0.4975-0.6745]). Using the Youden Index, a cut-off cHIS score of 3 or more was a better predictor of mortality (sensitivity, 88.59%; specificity, 71.72%), and a cut-off score of 2 or more was a better predictor of need of mechanical ventilation (sensitivity, 84.02%; specificity, 70.82%) than other cutoff cHIS scores.
CONCLUSIONAmong COVID-19 patients, the cHIS score at admission correlated with the risk of mortality and the need of mechanical ventilation. Cutoff scores of 3 and 2 had the optimal sensitivities and specificities to predict the risk of mortality and the need of mechanical ventilation, respectively.
Human ; Covid-19 ; Inflammation ; Mortality ; Mechanical Ventilation ; Respiration, Artificial ; Cytokine Storm ; Cytokine Release Syndrome
3.Analysis of Influencing Factors of Death in the Elderly With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Based on Propensity Score Matching.
Ying CHEN ; Hai-Ping HUANG ; Xin LI ; Si-Jie CHAI ; Jia-Li YE ; Ding-Zi ZHOU ; Tao ZHANG
Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinicae 2025;47(3):375-381
Objective To analyze the influencing factors of death in the elderly with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Methods The case data of death caused by COVID-19 in West China Fourth Hospital from January 1 to July 8,2023 were collected,and surviving cases from the West China Elderly Health Cohort infected with COVID-19 during the same period were selected as the control.LASSO-Logistic regression was adopted to analyze the data after propensity score matching and the validity of the model was verified by drawing the receiver operating characteristic curve.Results A total of 3 239 COVID-19 survivors and 142 deaths with COVID-19 were included.The results of LASSO-Logistic regression showed that smoking(OR=3.33,95%CI=1.46-7.59,P=0.004),stroke(OR=3.55,95%CI=1.15-10.30,P=0.022),malignant tumors(OR=19.93, 95%CI=8.52-49.23, P<0.001),coronary heart disease(OR=7.68, 95%CI=3.52-17.07, P<0.001),fever(OR=0.51, 95%CI=0.26-0.96, P=0.042),difficulty breathing or asthma symptoms(OR=21.48, 95%CI=9.44-51.95, P<0.001),and vomiting(OR=8.19,95%CI=2.87-23.58, P<0.001)increased the risk of death with COVID-19.The prediction model constructed based on the influencing factors achieved an area under the curve of 0.889 in the test set.Conclusions Smoking,stroke,malignant tumors,coronary heart disease,fever,breathing difficulty or asthma symptoms,and vomiting were identified as key factors influencing the death risk in COVID-19.
Humans
;
COVID-19/mortality*
;
Aged
;
Propensity Score
;
China/epidemiology*
;
Risk Factors
;
Logistic Models
;
Smoking
;
SARS-CoV-2
;
Male
;
Female
;
Stroke
;
Neoplasms
4.Identifying COVID-19 confirmed patients at elevated risk for mortality and need of mechanical ventilation using a novel criteria for Hyperinflammatory Syndrome: A retrospective cohort, single-center, validation study
Jayvee Rho-An D. Descalsota ; Abdul Walli R. Cana ; Inofel I. Chin ; Jessie F. Orcasitas
Acta Medica Philippina 2024;58(Early Access 2024):1-12
Background and Objectives:
A mounting evidence links dysregulated immune response to cases of fatal pneumonia seen in COVID-19 infection. We aimed to validate the COVID-19-associated Hyperinflammatory Syndrome (cHIS) score, a novel clinical tool devised to identify those at risk for adverse outcomes, in a local population and investigate the relationship of cHIS score taken at admission and the risk of mortality and the need of mechanical ventilation
Methods:
This retrospective cohort study analyzed the sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data of 1,881 COVID-19 patients admitted at a tertiary hospital in Davao City, Philippines from January to December 2021. We calculated the cHIS score, composed of six clinical and laboratory criteria from admission, and used multivariate logistic regression to determine the risk of mortality and need of mechanical ventilation.
Results:
The cHIS score taken at admission, regardless of cut-off value, was a significant predictor of mortality (OR 0.979 [99% CI 0.894-1.064]) and need of mechanical ventilation (OR 0.586 [99% CI 0.4975-0.6745]). Using the Youden Index, a cut-off cHIS score of 3 or more was a better predictor of mortality (sensitivity, 88.59%; specificity, 71.72%), and a cut-off score of 2 or more was a better predictor of need of mechanical ventilation (sensitivity, 84.02%; specificity, 70.82%) than other cut-off cHIS scores.
Conclusion
Among COVID-19 patients, the cHIS score at admission correlated with the risk of mortality and the need of mechanical ventilation. Cutoff scores of 3 and 2 had the optimal sensitivities and specificities to predict the risk of mortality and the need of mechanical ventilation, respectively.
COVID-19
;
Inflammation
;
Mortality
;
Respiration, Artificial
;
Cytokine Release Syndrome
5.Predictors of mortality among end-stage renal disease patients with COVID-19 admitted in a Philippine Tertiary Government Hospital: A retrospective cohort study
Saul B. Suaybaguio ; Jade D. Jamias ; Marla Vina A. Briones
Acta Medica Philippina 2024;58(Early Access 2024):1-8
Background and Objective:
Several studies have examined the predictors of mortality among COVID-19-infected
patients; however, to date, few published studies focused on end-stage renal disease patients. The present study,therefore, aims to determine the predictors of in-hospital mortality among end-stage renal disease patients with COVID-19 admitted to a Philippine tertiary hospital.
Methods:
The researcher utilized a retrospective cohort design. A total of 449 adult end-stage renal disease patients on renal replacement therapy diagnosed with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 and were admitted at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute from June 2020 to 2021 were included. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with in-hospital mortality.
Results:
In-hospital mortality among end-stage renal disease patients with COVID-19 was 31.18% (95% CI: 26.92-
35.69%). Older age (OR=1.03), male sex (OR=0.56), diabetes mellitus (OR=1.80), coronary artery disease (OR=1.71), encephalopathy (OR=7.58), and intubation (OR=30.78) were associated with in-hospital mortality.
Conclusion
Patients with ESRD and COVID-19 showed a high in-hospital mortality rate. Older age, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, encephalopathy, and intubation increased the odds of mortality. Meanwhile, males had lower odds of mortality than females.
COVID-19
;
Kidney Failure, Chronic
;
Hospital Mortality
;
Renal Replacement Therapy
6.Clinical profile and outcomes of COVID-19 positive patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in a tertiary government COVID-19 referral center
Mary Bianca Doreen F. Ditching ; Joel M. Santiague
Acta Medica Philippina 2024;58(Early Access 2024):1-7
Introduction:
It is anticipated that Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has greater risk in acquiring
COVID-19 infection and poorer outcome. However, current worldwide data are conflicting.
Objectives:
This study primarily aims to compare the outcomes of COVID-19 patients with COPD and those without COPD in terms of length of hospital stay (LOS), recovery or mortality, treatment received, and predictors of mortality.
Methods:
This is a retrospective cohort chart review of 1,017 admitted adult COVID-19 patients from July to
December 2020. Age, gender, smoking status, current control and medications for COPD, COVID-19 severity, symptoms, treatment, and outcomes of the two study groups were compared.
Results:
Prevalence rate of COPD was 3.8%. COVID-19 patients with COPD were older (median age of 69 vs 54,
p<0.001), male (87% vs 50%, p<0.001), hypertensive (72% vs 48%, p=0.004), and with tuberculosis (31% vs 11%,
p=0.002). COVID-19 patients with COPD more commonly needed oxygen therapy, High Flow Nasal Cannula,
Mechanical Ventilation, Tocilizumab, Convalescent Plasma Therapy and Dexamethasone, and had longer LOS.
Significant risk factors for mortality are malignancy, investigational therapies, smoking, and older age. There was no difference in survival rates between the two groups.
Conclusion
COPD increases the risk for severe COVID-19 and lengthens LOS.
COVID-19
;
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
;
Mortality
7.Characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with acute kidney injury: The Makati Medical Center experience
Alrik Earle T. Escudero ; Filoteo C. Ferrer ; Christine V. Pascual
Philippine Journal of Internal Medicine 2024;62(1):275-282
Introduction:
Since the breakout of COVID-19 in December 2019, the virus has already affected and taken millions of lives
over the past year. There is still much to learn about this disease. It has been postulated that the human kidney is a potential
pathway for COVID-19 due to the presence of the ACE2 receptors found in the surfaces of kidney cells. Some studies that
demonstrated acute tubular necrosis and lymphocyte infiltration among post mortem COVID-19 patients, concluding that
the virus could directly damage the kidney, increasing the risk of the development of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) among
patients with COVID-19. This study investigated the incidence and severity of AKI among hospitalized COVID-19 patients
and the association of the degree of AKI with regards to the severity and outcomes of COVID-19 patients.
Methods:
This was a single-center cross-sectional study retrospective chart review of COVID-19 patients who developed
AKI. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the general and clinical characteristics of the patients. Frequency and
proportion were used for categorical variables. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the normality distribution of
continuous variables. Continuous quantitative data that met the normality assumption was described using mean and
standard deviation, while those that did not were described using median and range. Continuous variables which are
normally distributed were compared using the One-way ANOVA, while those variables that are not normally distributed
were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis H test. For categorical variables, the Chi-square test was used to compare the
outcomes. If the expected percentages in the cells are less than 5%, Fisher's Exact Test was used instead.
Results:
A total of 1441 COVID-19 in-patients from March 1, 2020 to March 1, 2021 were reviewed, 59 of whom were
excluded. Among the adults with COVID-19 who developed AKI, 60% were in stage I, 10% in stage II, and 30% in stage III.
The incidence of AKI among COVID-19 in-patients at Makati Medical Center was 13.10% (95% CI 11.36% - 14.99%). Among
the 181 patients, 79 (43.65%, 95% CI 36.30 - 51.20) had died. The mortality rate is 22.02% for Stage I, 50% for Stage II, and
85.19% for Stage III. The median length of hospital stay was 12 days, ranging from 1 day up to 181 days. Full renal recovery
on discharge was observed only in one-third of the patients. It was observed in 44.95% of those in Stage I, 27.78% of those
in Stage II, and 5.56% of those in Stage III.
Conclusion
The study demonstrated that the incidence of AKI in hospitalized COVID-19 patients was 13.1% (95% CI
11.36% - 14.99%), which was lower than previously reported. This could be attributed to the longer study period wherein,
to date, we have a better understanding of the disease and had already established a standard of care for treatment for the
disease attributing to the decreased incidence of AKI among COVID-19 patients than what was initially reported. The
development of AKI has a direct correlation with the degree of infection. Among patients who developed AKI, 20% required
renal replacement therapy. Overall development of AKI increases the risk of mortality among hospitalized COVID-19
patients. The stage of AKI has a direct correlation with regards to mortality and has an indirect relationship with regards to
renal recovery.
Acute Kidney Injury
;
COVID-19
;
Renal Replacement Therapy
;
Mortality
8.Among patients with COVID-19, should remdesivir be used for treatment? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Carol Stephanie C. Tan-Lim ; Natasha Ann R. Esteban-Ipac
Acta Medica Philippina 2024;58(14):50-66
BACKGROUND
Remdesivir is an intravenously administered antiviral drug that inhibits RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. In vitro studies have shown that remdesivir can inhibit the growth of the COVID-19 virus in infected Vero cells and can inhibit infection in human cell lines.
OBJECTIVETo determine the efficacy and safety of remdesivir in treating patients with COVID-19 infection.
METHODSA systematic search of electronic medical literature databases was done from inception until September 4, 2022. Search for ongoing studies and preprints was also done. Risk of bias assessment was done using Cochrane risk of bias tool version 2.0. Measures of effect used were relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Subgroup analysis by disease severity was preplanned. The estimates for efficacy and safety of remdesivir was calculated using Review Manager 5.4 software.
RESULTSNine randomized controlled trials with 13,085 participants were identified. Eight of the included studies recruited confirmed COVID-19 patients needing hospitalization, while one study limited recruitment to nonhospitalized patients. Remdesivir showed significant benefit for outpatients with mild to moderate disease with at least one risk factor for disease progression in terms of COVID 19-related hospitalization (RR 0.13 95% CI 0.03 to 0.59), all-cause hospitalization (RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.75), and need for medically-attended visits (RR 0.19, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.56). For hospitalized patients, remdesivir had a slight benefit in reducing all-cause mortality at day 28 (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.98). Subgroup analysis by disease severity showed a trend towards reduction in mortality among those with severe disease (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.35 to 1.07), with no effect on those with critical disease (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.04), and inconclusive effect for those with mild-moderate disease (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.49 to 1.11). Remdesivir showed benefit in decreasing clinical deterioration (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.89), improving recovery rate (RR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.13), and reducing the need for mechanical ventilation (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.90). There was inconclusive effect on the need for ICU admission (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.43 to 2.22). No increased risk of adverse events (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.06), including serious adverse events (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.03), was seen.
DISCUSSIONBased on the available evidence, remdesivir shows benefit in the treatment for patients with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 infection. However, there was no benefit in mortality noted among those with critical disease requiring mechanical ventilation. Remdesivir demonstrated a good safety profile, with no increased risk of adverse events compared to control. These results are consistent with the international agencies’ recommendations for the use of remdesivir among patients with mild, moderate or severe COVID-19 infection, but not for those with critical infection.
CONCLUSIONCurrent evidence supports the use of remdesivir as treatment for selected patients with COVID-19.
Covid-19 ; Mortality
9.A single center retrospective observational study on the accuracy of the MuLBSTA score in predicting mortality among COVID-19 confirmed moderate to critical pneumonia cases
Elijah Nonnatus A. Adamos ; Maria Celeste Janyssa F. Poblete ; Myrna T. Mendoza ; Guinevere N. Dy-Agra
Philippine Journal of Health Research and Development 2024;28(3):11-14
BACKGROUND
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global pandemic that caused millions of deaths worldwide. There is no standard risk stratification score for COVID 19 pneumonia. This study aims to determine the accuracy of the MuLBSTA score in predicting the risk of mortality in COVID-19 confirmed moderate to critical pneumonia cases.
METHODOLOGYA total of 168 COVID-19-confirmed moderate to critical pneumonia patients admitted at Cardinal Santos Medical Center from January 1, 2021 to April 30, 2021 were included by chart review. The MuLBSTA score was determined for each patient using the following information: age, smoking history, co-morbidities, complete blood count, sputum culture, blood culture, chest xray and chest CT scan. All clinical outcomes were based on patient status by the end of the hospital stay (survival versus death). Thereafter, logistic regression was done using the MuLBSTA score and mortality to determine any correlation. In addition, modified regression was used to find any correlation with the MuLBSTAscore and patient co-morbidities as predictors of mortality. Chi-square tests of independence were conducted to assess the specific cut-off values of the MuLBSTAscore in predicting mortality.
RESULTSThe MuLBSTAscore is a significant predictor of mortality (73.08%) and survivability (66.67%). It was determined that the MuLBSTA score's accuracy in predicting mortality increases with diabetics [b = .26, p < .05]. In addition, the intervention of hemoperfusion can skew the predictive accuracy of the scoring [b = -.45, p <.01]. The study showed that a MuLBSTA score of 8 as a cut-off value to delineate high risk patients was more accurate in COVID-19 pneumonia patients compared to the previously established score cut-off of 12 in viral pneumonia [1].
CONCLUSIONThe MuLBSTA score may be used for risk stratification in predicting mortality in COVID-19 pneumonia, especially among diabetic patients. A MuLBSTA score of 8 proves to be the more accurate cut-off in assessing risk of mortality in COVID-19. However, hemoperfusion makes the MulBSTAscore inapplicable.
Covid-19 ; Mortality
10.Impact of age, sex, and cardiovascular disease in mortality in COVID-19 at the Medical City
Raymond G. Olazo ; Lucky Cuenza
Philippine Journal of Cardiology 2024;52(1):27-32
INTRODUCTION
COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), which is caused by the human severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2), has reached a pandemic level. As a novel disease, local epidemiologic data are important to determine high-risk age groups, as well as risk factors that contribute to mortality. This study is a retrospective cohort study of 182 COVID-19–positive patients confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Baseline demographics and data on the preexisting cardiovascular comorbidities of 182 COVID-19 patients were collected by chart review and underwent statistical analysis using STATA 14 software (StataCorp, College Station, Texas). In the study, the majority of COVID-19 patients were 61 years or older (44.5%), with a higher prevalence of individuals 61 years or older among those who died (68.4%) compared with survivors (38.2%) (P = 0.005). In terms of gender, half of the patients were male (57.7%). In terms of cardiovascular disease, the most prevalent was hypertension (48.3%), followed by diabetes (28.0%). The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) was significantly higher among patients who died (15.8%) compared with survivors (2.8%) (P = 0.022). In the univariate logistic regression analysis, older age was significantly associated with increased odds for mortality (odds ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.09). In terms of comorbidities, having CAD was significantly associated with increased odds for mortality (odds ratio, 6.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.7–24.6). Other variables were not significantly associated with mortality. In our study, advanced age and the presence of underlying CAD have been associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality among COVID-19 patients.
Cardiovascular Diseases
;
COVID-19
;
mortality
;
Sex


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