Demographic and Clinical Characteristics Associated With Severity, Clinical Outcomes, and Mortality of COVID-19 Infection in Gabon

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Since the emergence of COVID-19 in central China, sub-Saharan African countries, with the exception of South Africa, have been relatively spared during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, few descriptive studies from this region are available. OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 infection in Gabon, from March to June 2020. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A single-center, cross-sectional study of 837 patients with COVID-19 was conducted from March to June 2020 in the Armed Forces Hospital in Libreville, Gabon. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Demographic and clinical characteristics and imaging findings of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. RESULTS Of the 837 patients enrolled, 572 (68.3%) were men, and 264 (31.5%) were women (male to female ratio, 2:1); the median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 35 (30-45) years (mean [SD] age, 38.0 [12.2] years. The mortality rate associated with COVID-19 was low (1.4%). Of these 837 patients, 524 (62.6%) were categorized as having no symptoms, 282 (33.7%) as having mild symptoms, and 31 (3.7%) as having severe symptoms. Patients with severe symptoms were older (mean [SD] age, 46.1 [14.7] years) than patients with mild symptoms (mean [SD] age, 41.3 [12.5] years) and those with no symptoms (mean [SD] age, 35.7 [11.3] years) (Kruskal-Wallis χ22 = 53.5; P < .001). History of diabetes was the principal risk factor associated with both severe symptoms in 5 of 31 patients (16.1%) and mild symptoms in 11 of 282 (3.9%) compared with no symptoms in 5 of 524 (0.9%) (Pearson χ22 = 30.9; P < .001). Patients with severe symptoms and a fatal outcome were older (mean [SD] age, 53.4 [15.1] years) than survivors (mean [SD] age, 41.5 [12.9] years) (t20.83 = 2.2; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this single-center, cross-sectional study in Libreville, Gabon, the mortality rate associated with COVID-19 infection from March to June 2020 was low, and patients who died of COVID-19 infection were younger on average than reported elsewhere, possibly reflecting a smaller elderly population in Gabon.