Introduction Higher comorbidity and older age have been reported as correlates of poor outcomes in COVID‐19 patients worldwide; however, US data are scarce. We evaluated mortality predictors of COVID‐19 in a large cohort of hospitalized patients in the United States. Design Retrospective, multicenter cohort of inpatients diagnosed with COVID‐19 by RT‐PCR from 1 March to 17 April 2020 was performed, and outcome data evaluated from 1 March to 17 April 2020. Measures included demographics, comorbidities, clinical presentation, laboratory values and imaging on admission. Primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes included length of stay, time to death and development of acute kidney injury in the first 48‐h. Results The 1305 patients were hospitalized during the evaluation period. Mean age was 61.0 ± 16.3, 53.8% were male and 66.1% African American. Mean BMI was 33.2 ± 8.8 kg m−2. Median Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was 2 (1–4), and 72.6% of patients had at least one comorbidity, with hypertension (56.2%) and diabetes mellitus (30.1%) being the most prevalent. ACE‐I/ARB use and NSAIDs use were widely prevalent (43.3% and 35.7%, respectively). Mortality occurred in 200 (15.3%) of patients with median time of 10 (6–14) days. Age > 60 (aOR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.26–2.94) and CCI > 3 (aOR: 2.71, 95% CI: 1.85–3.97) were independently associated with mortality by multivariate analyses. NSAIDs and ACE‐I/ARB use had no significant effects on renal failure in the first 48 h. Conclusion Advanced age and an increasing number of comorbidities are independent predictors of in‐hospital mortality for COVID‐19 patients. NSAIDs and ACE‐I/ARB use prior to admission is not associated with renal failure or increased mortality.

Background and aims The prevalence and significance of digestive manifestations in COVID-19 remain uncertain. We aimed to assess the prevalence, spectrum, severity, and significance of digestive manifestations in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods Consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were identified across a geographically diverse alliance of medical centers in North America. Data pertaining to baseline characteristics, symptomatology, laboratory assessment, imaging, and endoscopic findings from the time of symptom onset until discharge or death were manually abstracted from electronic health records to characterize the prevalence, spectrum, and severity of digestive manifestations. Regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between digestive manifestations and severe outcomes related to COVID-19. Findings A total of 1992 patients across 36 centers met eligibility criteria and were included. Overall, 53% of patients experienced at least one gastrointestinal symptom at any time during their illness, most commonly diarrhea (34%), nausea (27%), vomiting (16%), and abdominal pain (11%). In 74% of cases, gastrointestinal symptoms were judged to be mild. In total, 35% of patients developed an abnormal alanine aminotransferase or total bilirubin level; these were elevated to less than 5 times the upper limit of normal in 77% of cases. After adjusting for potential confounders, the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms at any time (odds ratio 0.93, 95% confidence interval 0.76-1.15) or liver test abnormalities on admission (odds ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval 0.80-2.12) were not independently associated with mechanical ventilation or death. Conclusion Among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, gastrointestinal symptoms and liver test abnormalities were common but the majority were mild and their presence was not associated with a more severe clinical course.

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Older age, medical comorbidities, obesity, ACE-I/ARB use, and male sex are independent correlates of hospitalization in COVID-19 patients presenting to the emergency department.