Respiratory Comorbidities Seen in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 in the First Months of the Pandemic

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It is an airborne, respiratory infection with multi-systemic involvement, notably in the upper and lower airways. People of any age with certain conditions have been demonstrated to get more severely ill with COVID-19. The objective of this study was to assess the respiratory comorbidities of patients who were diagnosed and treated with COVID-19 at our hospital within our community’s patient population to see which chronic respiratory comorbidities were most prevalent at admission.

Methods: We performed an institutional review board (IRB) approved retrospective chart review of patients who were hospitalized and discharged with COVID-19 from our tertiary center. All age ranges and patient types were included, which included, but were not limited to, pediatric patients, adults, and pregnant patients. Our institution’s electronic medical record (EMR) was accessed, and a list was generated of COVID-19 patients diagnosed at our facility. Patient data was collected for those who were admitted at any time from March 2020 to August 2020. Problem lists and past medical histories were reviewed for respiratory-specific comorbidities present at admission. Findings were subsequently reviewed by individuals of multiple specialty backgrounds, including pediatrics, internal medicine, allergy and immunology, and obstetrics and gynecology.

Results: A list of 232 patients was generated with a median age of 66 years. 70 patients (30.2%) had a respiratory diagnosis listed in their problem list or past medical history. Overall, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the most common condition seen in our patient population of COVID-19 patients (11.6%). Asthma/wheezing was the second most common (10.8%), and allergies/seasonal allergies/allergic rhinitis was the third most common (6.5%).

Conclusions: 30.2% of our COVID-19 patient population had respiratory comorbidities or histories at diagnosis. Some degree of underlying respiratory disease may play a role in the development of COVID-19, but more definitive correlation with disease severity remains to be seen.