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. 2022 Jul 11;4(1):27.
doi: 10.1186/s42466-022-00192-x.

COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalized Parkinson's disease patients in two pandemic waves in 2020: a nationwide cross-sectional study from Germany

Raphael Scherbaum  1 , Dirk Bartig  2 , Daniel Richter  1 , Eun Hae Kwon  1 , Siegfried Muhlack  1 , Ralf Gold  1   3 , Christos Krogias  1 , Lars Tönges  4   5
Affiliations

COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalized Parkinson's disease patients in two pandemic waves in 2020: a nationwide cross-sectional study from Germany

Raphael Scherbaum et al. Neurol Res Pract. .

Abstract

Background: The individualized clinical and public health management of the COVID-19 pandemic have changed over time, including care of people with PD. The objective was to investigate whether in-hospital COVID-19 outcomes and hospital care utilization of people with PD differed between the first two pandemic waves (W) 2020 in Germany.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study of inpatients with confirmed COVID-19 and PD between March 1 and May 31 (W1), and October 1 and December 31 (W2), 2020 and 2019, using an administrative database. Outcomes were in-hospital mortality, ICU admission rate, change in hospital care utilization, demographical data, PD clinical characteristics, and selected comorbidities. Differences were assessed between waves, PD/non-PD groups, and years.

Results: We identified 2600 PD COVID-19 inpatients in W2 who in total showed higher in-hospital mortality rates and lower ICU admission rates, compared to both W1 (n = 775) and W1/W2 non-PD COVID-19 inpatients (n = 144,355). Compared to W1, W2 inpatients were more long-term care-dependent, older, more of female sex, and had less advanced disease. During both waves, PD inpatients were older, more frequently male and long-term care-dependent, and showed more risk comorbidities than non-PD COVID-19 inpatients. Decreases in hospital care utilization were stronger than average for PD inpatients but relatively weaker during W2. Non-COVID-19 PD inpatients showed poorer in-hospital outcomes in 2020 than in 2019 with better outcomes during W2.

Conclusions: In-hospital COVID-19 outcomes and hospital care utilization of PD patients in Germany differed between the two pandemic waves in 2020 with increased in-hospital mortality for PD COVID-19. Overall hospital care utilization for PD was increased during W2.

Trial registration: No trial registration or ethical approval was required because data were publicly available, anonymized, and complied with the German data protection regulations.

Keywords: COVID-19; Health care utilization; Intensive care; Mortality; Parkinson’s disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
COVID-19 outcomes in PD and non-PD subjects
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Decrease in admissions 2020 vs. 2019 for any and Parkinson’s disease
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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