A large-scale new pre-print study has found that a third of coronavirus patients admitted to UK hospitals die, and fewer than half of those put on ventilators survive.
The study, called ISARIC4C and led by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, University of Liverpool, and Imperial College London, analyzed data from 16,749 COVID-19 patients in 166 UK hospitals between February 6 and April 18. It found that 49% were discharged, 33% died and 17% continued to receive care at the date of reporting.
The study also showed that patients put on a ventilator, 53% died, 20% were discharged, and 27% remained in the hospital.
Researchers also found that, along with underlying issues such as lung, heart and kidney disease that are already known to worsen outcomes, being male or obese were also significant factors associated with COVID-19 deaths in UK hospitals.
This could be because obese people have a reduced lung function and potentially more inflammation in the fatty tissue under the skin and around internal organs, which could contribute to a possibly life-threatening overreaction of the body’s immune system, researchers said.
The study, which was funded by the UK government, has not yet been peer-reviewed.
