Cardiovascular risk factors affecting COVID-19 outcomes at a tertiary referral hospital in northwest Iran: A prospective cohort study

Objective: To investigate cardiovascular risk factors affecting COVID-19 outcomes in a tertiary referral hospital. Methods: This prospective cohort study analyzed 269 participants with COVID-19. The primary outcomes were ICU admission, prolonged hospital stay duration, and in-hospital death. The secondary outcomes included death, chronic symptoms, and NYHA functional class during follow-up periods. Results: A total of 412 patients with COVID-19 symptoms were enrolled in the study, and out of which 269 patients had complete medical records and positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results, fulfilling the study criteria were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups, with cardiovascular comorbidities (group A, n=122), such as established cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, and without cardiovascular comorbidities (group B, n=147). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that patients with underlying hypertension, diabetes, and established cardiovascular disease had a 1.55 (95% CI: 1.28-2.26), 1.62 (95% CI: 1.34-2.13), and 1.63 (95% CI: 1.07-5.34)-fold risk of mortality, respectively in the adjusted model. Conclusions: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with predisposing cardiovascular risk factors are more susceptible to develop worse outcomes. More attention should be paid to the management and follow-up of these patients.