Risk Factors for COVID-19 Related Death during the First Three Waves of the Pandemic in an Epidemic Treatment Center at Dakar, Senegal

Introduction-Objective: COVID-19 is a highly transmissible but often mild viral infection. However, some patients can present severe COVID-19 and subsequently die. The aim of the present study was to assess the risk factors for COVID-19 related death during the first three waves of the disease at the Epidemic Treatment Center (ETC) of Dakar Principal Hospital (DPH). Method: We conducted a descriptive and analytical perspective survival study from April 4, 2020 to September 25, 2021, including adult patients with COVID-19, hospitalized at the ETC of DPH. Log Rank test and multivariate Cox model were performed to identify risk factors for death. Results: We included 556 COVID-19 patients with mean age of 57 ± 17 years and a male-to-female ratio of 1.26. The number of deaths during one month of follow-up was 41, representing a cumulative risk of 7.4%. The log Rank test showed that being from the third wave (p = 0.0056), advanced age (p = 0.00098), presence of at least one comorbidity (p = 0.034), High blood pressure (p = 0.024), d-dimer level ≥ 1000 IU/L (p Conclusion: Our study showed that elderly and third-wave of COVID-19 patients were more at risk to die. Knowledge of risk factors for COVID-19 related death could improve the prognosis of these patients.

Factors Associated with Death among Tuberculosis Patients in Dakar

Introduction-Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide. The predictors of mortality due to TB are rarely evaluated in Senegal. The aim of our study was to identify factors associated with related TB death in two treatment centers in Dakar, Senegal. Method: We conducted a prospective descriptive-analytical study dealing with TB patients followed in the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at FANN Teaching Hospital and Dakar Principal Hospital and in the Department of Pulmonology at Dakar Principal Hospital from March 1st, 2019 to February 29th, 2020. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify the associated factors of death. Results: Two hundred eighty-two patients in the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at FANN teaching hospital (57%), in the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at Dakar Principal Hospital (31%), and in the Department of Pulmonology at Dakar Principal Hospital (12%) were included in the study. The mean age was 39 ± 16 years and the male to female ratio was 2.2. Isolated pulmonary TB, isolated extrapulmonary TB, and both pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB were present in 33.3%, 30.5% and 36.2% of cases, respectively. Twenty-two patients died, corresponding to a mortality rate of 7.8%. Factors independently associated with death were age ≥ 60 years (26.2 [3.6 - 191.2]) compared to 16 - 40 years’ age group, HIV infection (7.2 [1.4 - 36.9]), neurological localization of TB (13.19 [3.2 - 54.3]), and hemoglobin level < 10 g/dl (5.5 [1.3 - 23.9]). Conclusion: Tuberculosis remains a fatal disease despite therapeutic advances. Better knowledge of associated factors of death from TB may help to reduce its mortality.