Study of clinical profile of covid in patients with underlying respiratory illness

Background: As Covid is a disease primarily affecting the lungs it is feared that patients with preexisting respiratory illnesses would be more seriously affected by it. There have been studies showing the protective effects of some medications like budesonide. A sample of 100 + consecutive patients with respiratory illness affected by covid in the months from June 2020 to March 2021 were studied.

Methodology: A retrospective observational study was carried out with the study subjects being all patients with underlying respiratory illness admitted at a large tertiary hospital between April 2020 to March 2021-a one year period.

Data Collection: Information was collected from the patient database of admitted patients maintained in the hospital records. Data Analysis: Age, risk factors, primary diagnosis, comorbidities, primary medications, course of illness in the hospital and given duration of stay and outcomes was analyzed. Length of hospitalization, requirement of oxygen, NIV and ventilator requirement of ICU and death rate was compared in this group to that in the overall group.

Conclusion: It was observed that patients with preexisting respiratory illness had higher incidence of oxygen requirement, ICU admission, noninvasive ventilation, mechanical ventilation, and death.