Thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications of COVID-19 in adults hospitalized in high-income countries compared with those in adults hospitalized in low- and middle-income countries in an international registry

Background: COVID-19 has been associated with a broad range of thromboembolic, ischemic, and hemorrhagic complications (coagulopathy complications). Most studies have focused on patients with severe disease from high-income countries (HICs).Objectives: The main aims were to compare the frequency of coagulopathy compli-cations in developing countries (low-and middle-income countries [LMICs]) with those in HICs, delineate the frequency across a range of treatment levels, and determine associations with in-hospital mortality.Methods: Adult patients enrolled in an observational, multinational registry, the In-ternational Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections COVID-19 study, be-tween January 1, 2020, and September 15, 2021, met inclusion criteria, including admission to a hospital for laboratory-confirmed, acute COVID-19 and data on com-plications and survival. The advanced-treatment cohort received care, such as admis-sion to the intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation, or inotropes or vasopressors; the basic-treatment cohort did not receive any of these interventions.Results: The study population included 495,682 patients from 52 countries, with 63% from LMICs and 85% in the basic treatment cohort. The frequency of coagulopathy complications was higher in HICs (0.76%-3.4%) than in LMICs (0.09%-1.22%). Complications were more frequent in the advanced-treatment cohort than in the basic-treatment cohort. Coagulopathy complications were associated with increased in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.52-1.64). The increased mortality associated with these complications was higher in LMICs (58.5%) than in HICs (35.4%). After controlling for coagulopathy complications, treatment intensity, and multiple other factors, the mortality was higher among patients in LMICs than among patients in HICs (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.39-1.51).Conclusion: In a large, international registry of patients hospitalized for COVID-19, coagulopathy complications were more frequent in HICs than in LMICs (developing countries). Increased mortality associated with coagulopathy complications was of a greater magnitude among patients in LMICs. Additional research is needed regarding timely diagnosis of and intervention for coagulation derangements associated with COVID-19, particularly for limited-resource settings.

Automated summary

In this study, the frequency of coagulopathy complications in COVID-19 patients from developing countries (LMICs) was compared to those from high-income countries (HICs), and it was found that complications were more frequent in HICs. Complications were more common in patients receiving advanced treatment, and were associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Moreover, the mortality associated with these complications was higher in LMICs. Therefore, further research is needed to explore timely diagnosis and intervention for coagulation derangements in COVID-19, particularly in limited-resource settings.