Characteristics of re-admitted adult patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 After initial hospitalization at King Salman Armed Forces Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics and possible risk factors associated with re-hospitalization within 30 days of discharge among hospitalized adult patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at King Salman Armed Forces Hospital (KSAFH), Tabuk, Saudi Arabia over the period between March to November 2020. The study was conducted over 237 patients who had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 and fulfilled the study inclusion criteria (at least 14 years old, with subsequently discharged alive from the hospital) were included.

Results: The commonest presenting symptoms were cough, fever, and dyspnea. The most frequent reported comorbid diseases were diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Half of cases were regarded as severe cases whereas 14.8% were critical cases. The rate of readmission was 5.9%. Older patients were more likely to be readmitted compared to younger patients. Regarding clinical characteristics, critically ill patients were more likely to be readmitted than less severe cases. Patients with unilateral lung shadow in chest x-ray, and those with positive history of Intensive care unit (ICU) admission were more likely to be readmitted compared to their peers. Regarding medical history, the only factor significantly associated with readmission were history of cerebrovascular accident (CVA), as 22.2% of those with CVA history compared to only 1.5% of those without CVA history were more likely to be readmitted. Among laboratory findings, high lymphocytic count (>3 per microliter) was significantly associate with likelihood for readmission.

Conclusion: Readmission rate or patients hospitalization initially for Covid-19 was comparable to rates reported by most of other similar international studies. Further longitudinal larger multicentric study is warranted to have clearer image of the situation.