Characteristics of the COVID-19 patients treated at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, Northern Uganda: A cross-sectional study
Baguma et al.,
Characteristics of the COVID-19 patients treated at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, Northern Uganda: A..,
Research Square, doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1193578/v1 (Preprint)
Retrospective COVID+ hospitalized patients in Uganda, 385 patients receiving vitamin C treatment, showing higher mortality with treatment, without statistical significance.
risk of death, 48.5% higher, RR 1.48, p = 0.54, treatment 385, control 96, adjusted per study, inverted to make RR<1 favor treatment, odds ratio converted to relative risk, multivariable, control prevalance approximated with overall prevalence.
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Baguma et al., 28 Dec 2021, retrospective, Uganda, preprint, 16 authors, study period March 2020 - October 2021.
Abstract: Characteristics of the COVID-19 patients treated at Gulu
Regional Referral Hospital, Northern Uganda: A crosssectional study
Steven Baguma
Gulu Regional Referral Hospital
Christopher Okot
Gulu Regional Referral Hospital
Nelson Alema Onira
Gulu University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy
Paska Apiyo
Gulu Regional Referral Hospital
Denis Acullu
Aga Kan Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya
Paska Layet
Lacor Hospital
Johnson Nyeko Oloya
Uganda Medical Association, Acholi Branch, Gulu, Uganda
Denis Ochula
Lamwo Local Goverment, Uganda
Pamela Atim
St. Joseph's Hospital, Kitgum, Uganda
Patrick Odong Olwedo
Amuru Local Government, Uganda
Francis Pebalo Pebolo
Gulu University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Reproductive health
Freddy Wathum Drinkwater Oyat
Uganda Medical Association, Acholi Branch
Janet Oola
Nwoya Local Government, Uganda
Judith Aloyo
Rhites-N, Acholi, Gulu City, Uganda
Eric Nzirakaindi Ikoona
ICAP at Columbia University, Sierra Leone
David Lagoro Kitara ( klagoro2@gmail.com )
Gulu University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7282-5026
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Research Article
Keywords: COVID-19, Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, comorbidities, treatment, complications
Posted Date: December 28th, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1193578/v1
License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full
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Page 2/28
Abstract
Background
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe respiratory disease that results from infection with a new
coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). One of the most critical issues related to the COVID-19 is the high rate of spread, millions
of people have been infected around the world, and hundreds of thousands of people have died till now. However,
reports from Africa paint a different picture of the SARS-CoV-2 and its effects on the population.
Objectives
The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of the COVID-19 patients treated at the Gulu Regional
Referral Hospital and determine factors associated with COVID-19 manifestations, socio-demographic characteristics,
and treatment outcomes from March 2020 to October 2021.
Methods
A retrospective data abstraction of all COVID-19 hospital admissions registered in the Gulu Health Management
Information System (HMIS) database and other tools were conducted. The period of study was March 2020 to
October 2021. Data that met the inclusion criteria were consecutively abstracted from the Gulu Hospital HMIS
database. A local IRB approved the study. SPSS version 25.0 was used for data analysis, and a p-value of 0.05 was
considered significant.
Results
Data suggests there were three waves of COVID-19 in Uganda. Those with comorbidities, e.g., Diabetes mellitus
38(5.7%), hypertension 83(12.5%), cardiovascular diseases 58(8.7%), HIV and AIDS 61(9.2%), and other comorbidities
such as liver cirrhosis and hepatitis B 40(6.0%) were more susceptible and presented with severe forms of the
disease. Antibiotics 662(99.7%), steroids 73(11.0%), vitamin C 564(84.9%), Ivermectin 7(1.1%), and Vitamin D
24(3.6%) were the most used medicines for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Most COVID-19 patients were
unvaccinated 661(99.5%). However, the recovery rate was 632(95.2%). The commonest complications were
pneumonia 60(9.0%), chronic fatigue 49(7.4%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) 37(5.6%), depression
20(3.0%), systemic infections 19(2.9%), nightmares 15(2.3%) and..
Late treatment
is less effective
baguma
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