TITLE:
Comorbidities and COVID-19: A Retrospective Analysis of Disease Severity
AUTHORS:
Mohammed Shariq Siddiqui, Numeera Arjuman, Sadia Sarwath, Ruhina Mirza, Aamena Fathima, Mustafa Kagalwala, Mohammad Faizuddin
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, Comorbidities, CT Severity Score, Diabetes, Hypertension
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
14,
2026
ABSTRACT: Aim: To evaluate the association between common comorbidities and the clinical severity, radiological findings, and in-hospital outcomes of patients admitted with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at a tertiary care center in South India. Subject and Methods: This retrospective observational study included 202 adult patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to Princess Esra Hospital, Hyderabad, between February and November 2021. Clinical data, comorbidity status, computed tomography (CT) severity scores, and duration of hospital stay were collected from medical records. The COVID-19 Reporting and Data System (CORADS) was used to assess radiological suspicion levels. Statistical comparisons were made using t-tests and chi-square tests with a significance level of p Results: Patients with diabetes and hypertension showed significantly higher CT severity scores (mean scores of 20.04 and 20.77, respectively) compared to those without these conditions. These groups also had longer hospital stays. Mortality increased proportionally with the number of comorbidities, reaching 87.5% in patients with more than three. CT severity scores were significantly higher in non-survivors than survivors, whereas CORADS scores showed no meaningful difference. Patients with malignancy or chronic kidney disease also had prolonged recovery times despite moderate radiological severity. Conclusion: Comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension are associated with more severe COVID-19 as indicated by higher CT severity scores, longer hospitalization, and increased mortality. CT severity scoring showed a stronger prognostic association with mortality than CORADS in this cohort. These findings support the prioritization of early, aggressive care in patients with multiple chronic conditions.