The association of typical and atypical symptoms on in-hospital mortality of older adults with COVID-19: a multicentre cohort study

Older adults with COVID-19 infection often present with atypical symptoms, which are not usually associated with infections. These atypical symptoms may include delirium (acute confusion), falls, decreased appetite and weakness.

Earlier reports suggested that older adults with COVID-19 often had only atypical symptoms, which raised concerns that the infection may be missed in this age group.

We conducted a study at 7 hospitals in Toronto, Ontario looking at older adults admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

Read this open access paper on the FACETS website.

The study took place from March 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.

In the 1786 older adults admitted with COVID-19, atypical symptoms occurred in 66.5% of patients, but those symptoms were often accompanied by more typical symptoms of COVID-19, including shortness of breath, fever and cough.

Delirium, shortness of breath and fast heart rate were each associated with increased risk of death.

In this group of older adults hospitalized with COVID-19 infection, atypical presentations frequently overlapped with typical symptoms.

Further research should be directed at understanding the cause and clinical significance of atypical presentations in older adults.

Read the paper — The association of typical and atypical symptoms with in-hospital mortality in older adults with COVID-19: a multicentre cohort study by Eric Kai-Chung Wong, Jennifer Watt, Hanyan Zou, Arthana Chandraraj, Alissa Wenyue Zhang, Jahnel Brookes, Ashley Verduyn, Anna Berall, Richard Norman,Katrina Lynn Piggott, Terumi Izukawa, Sharon E. Straus, and Barbara Arlena Liu.