Natural Course of Aortic Stenosis in Older Subjects: Effects of COVID-19

J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2023 Oct;24(10):1594.e1-1594.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.07.026. Epub 2023 Sep 9.

Abstract

Objective: Both aortic stenosis (AS) and COVID-19 affect the morbidity and mortality burden among older adults. The aim of the study was to examine whether aortic stenosis (AS) affects the prognosis after SARS-CoV-2 infection and whether COVID-19 affects AS prognosis, in a cohort of older adults hospitalized with and without COVID-19.

Design: Observational study.

Setting and participants: Patients admitted to 9 geriatric clinics in Stockholm from March 2020 to November 2021.

Methods: AS and COVID-19 diagnoses were identified by electronic health records; the outcomes were mortality at 30 days and any time during a median follow-up of 630 days. The associations between AS, COVID-19, and mortality were assessed by using Royston-Parmar models adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and admission waves.

Results: Among 28,974 patients, 85 had concomitant AS and COVID-19, 529 had only AS, and 5033 had only COVID-19. Both at 30 days and at any time, as compared to patients without, concomitant AS and COVID-19 subjects had a higher mortality rate (438.4 per 100 py, 95% CI 296.2-648.8, and 72.9, 95% CI 53.7-99.0, respectively) and a higher death risk (adjusted HR 5.5, 95% CI 3.7-8.2; and 2.8, 95% CI 2.1-3.9). AS patients presented increased mortality HR both in the presence and absence of COVID-19 at 30 days (1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.4; and 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.2, respectively) and at any time (1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.1; 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.7, respectively).

Conclusions and implications: AS was a significant mortality risk factor, independent of concomitant COVID-19. Careful AS management should always be pursued, even in acute and post-acute phases of COVID-19.

Keywords: Aortic stenosis; COVID-19; electronic health records; older adults.

Publication types

  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • Prognosis
  • Retrospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2