Largest COVID-19 Study of Hospitalized Patients in US Links Comorbidities to Acuity

An analysis of the electronic health records (EHR) of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has uncovered several comorbidities as a key factor in the acuity of the disease.

The Northwell Health COVID-19 Research Consortium, with support from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research (Manhasset, NY, USA), described the clinical course and outcomes of 5,700 Northwell patients hospitalized with COVID-19 — the largest hospitalized patient cohort to date from the US — between March 1 and April 4.


The majority of patients in the study were male, and the median age of all patients being treated was 63 years old. At triage, about of third of all patients (1,734) presented with a fever, 986 had a high respiratory rate and 1,584 patients received supplemental oxygen. On average, patients were discharged after four days. The mortality rates were higher for male patients than female at every adult 10-year age interval.

The Northwell Health Covid-19 Research Consortium’s findings demonstrated that hypertension (57%), obesity (41%) and diabetes (34%) were the most common comorbidities in the COVID-19 patients studied. Patients with diabetes were more likely to have received invasive mechanical ventilation, received treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) or developed acute kidney disease.

Of the 2,634 hospitalized patients for whom outcomes were known, 14% were treated in the ICU, 12% received invasive mechanical ventilation and 3% were treated with kidney replacement therapy. As of April 4, 2020, for patients requiring mechanical ventilation (n = 1151, 20.2%), 38 (3.3%) were discharged alive, 282 (24.5%) died, and 831 (72.2%) remained in hospital.

“Through our consortium, we will share our clinical and scientific insights as we evolve the ways to care for and treat COVID-19 patients,” said Karina W. Davidson, PhD, MASc, professor and senior vice president at the Feinstein Institutes.

“These observational studies and other randomized clinical trial results from the Feinstein Institutes will improve the care for others confronting COVID outbreaks,” added Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes.

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Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research