System Maintenance Notice

Please note that maintenance work is scheduled between 4 AM and 5 AM - CET. During this time, you may experience reduced performance. Thanks for your patience.

Publications

Journal Article Epublish

PubMed: 40722640 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines13071563

The Clinical Impact of the Omicron Variant on Octogenarian Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: The Results from CoviCamp Cohort.

Biomedicines 13(7)

Authors: Pierantonio Grimaldi, Mariantonietta Pisaturo, Antonio Russo, Salvatore Martini, Francesca Ambrisi, Filomena Milite, Giovanni Di Caprio, Fabio Giuliano Numis, Ivan Gentile, Vincenzo Sangiovanni, Vincenzo Esposito, Rossella Pacilio, Giosuele Calabria, Raffaella Pisapia, Canio Carriero, Alfonso Masullo, Elio Manzillo, Grazia Russo, Roberto Parrella, Sebastiano Leone, Michele Gambardella, Antonio Ponticiello, Nicola Coppola

Affiliations

  • Department of Mental Health and Public Medicine, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", 80131 Naples, Italy.
  • Infectious Disease Unit, A.O.U. Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy.
  • Infectious Disease Unit, A.O.S Anna e S Sebastiano Caserta, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
  • Emergency Unit, P.O. Santa Maria delle Grazie, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy.
  • Infectious Disease Unit, University Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy.
  • Third Infectious Disease Unit, P.O. Cotugno, A.O.R.N. dei Colli, 80131 Naples, Italy.
  • Infectious Diseases Unit and Gender Medicine, P.O. Cotugno, AORN dei Colli, 80131 Naples, Italy.
  • Hepatic Infectious Disease Unit, P.O. Cotugno, A.O.R.N. dei Colli, 80131 Naples, Italy.
  • IX Infectious Disease Unit, P.O. Cotugno, A.O.R.N. dei Coli, 80131 Naples, Italy.
  • First Infectious Disease Unit, P.O. Cotugno, A.O.R.N. dei Coli, 80131 Naples, Italy.
  • Infectious Disease Unit, P.O. Rummo, A.O. San Pio, 82100 Benevento, Italy.
  • Infectious Disease Unit, A.O. San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona Salerno, 84131 Salerno, Italy.
  • VIII Infectious Disease Unit, P.O. Cotugno, A.O.R.N. dei Coli, 80131 Naples, Italy.
  • Infectious Disease Unit, Ospedale Maria S.S. Addolorata di Eboli, A.S.L. Salerno, 84131 Salerno, Italy.
  • Respiratory Infectious Disease Unit, P.O. Cotugno, A.O.R.N. dei Colli, 80131 Naples, Italy.
  • Infectious Disease Unit, A.O. Avellino, 83100 Avellino, Italy.
  • Infectious Disease Unit, P.O. S. Luca, Vallo della Lucania, A.S.L. Salerno, 84131 Salerno, Italy.
  • Pneumology Unit, A.O.R.N. Caserta, 81100 Caserta, Italy.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to investigate the clinical impact of Omicron Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on the clinical presentation of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the very old (≥80 years old) population. Methods: All patients aged 80 years or older, hospitalized from March 2020 to June 2023 with a SARS-CoV-2 infection in one of the 17 COVID-19 units in eight cities of Campania, southern Italy, were enrolled in a multicenter, observational, retrospective study. Results: 341 patients ≥ 80 years of age were included: 80 of them in the Omicron and 261 in the non-Omicron period. Patients admitted during the Omicron period were older (p = 0.0001) and more comorbid, showing more frequently arterial hypertension (p = 0.018), cardiovascular disease (p = 0.0001), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (p = 0.002), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (p = 0.001), and active cancer (p = 0.0001). Severe and critical outcomes were observed more often in the non-Omicron variant (p = 0.0001). Patients in the Omicron group did not show a significantly prolonged hospitalization time (p = 0.063) or a higher likelihood of death during hospitalization (p = 0.097). Discussion: In our study, despite the greater frailty of patients hospitalized during the Omicron period, the disease appeared less severe compared to previous waves, suggesting that the lower severity of the disease could be attributed to virological rather than population characteristics. These findings underscore the importance of prevention strategies for older people, as the administration of vaccination and early antiviral therapies in at-risk subjects.

MeSH

Sars-Cov-2, Hospitalization, Aging, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive, Covid-19, Infections