Clinical features of COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the Tashkent State Medical University and risk factors for intensive care unit admission: a cross-sectional study from Uzbekistan, Central Asia
- 1Tashkent Medical Academy
Abstract
BackgroundThe clinical course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the ability to anticipate which patients will require intensive care, were poorly characterized in Central Asia during the first pandemic wave. We aimed to describe the clinical features of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at the Tashkent State Medical University, Uzbekistan, and to identify risk factors for intensive care unit (ICU) admission.
MethodsIn this single-centre cross-sectional study, we reviewed the records of 2500 consecutive patients hospitalized between 11 April and 8 August 2020. Patients were grouped as asymptomatic or symptomatic, and symptomatic patients were compared by ICU versus non-ICU status. Groups were compared with chi-square or Fishers exact and Mann-Whitney U tests. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression identified risk factors for ICU admission.
ResultsOf 2500 patients (median age 36 years; 60.9% male), 989 (39.6%) were asymptomatic and 1511 (60.4%) symptomatic. In total, 129 (5.2%) were admitted to the ICU and 38 (1.5%) died. ICU patients were older (median 56 vs 40.5 years) and more often had bilateral pneumonia, oxygen desaturation and cardiometabolic comorbidity. In the multivariable model (AUC 0.82), the independent predictors of ICU admission were ischemic heart disease (aOR 4.20), shortness of breath (aOR 3.22), hypertensive heart disease (aOR 2.93) and male sex (aOR 2.00).
ConclusionsOlder age, cardiometabolic comorbidity and respiratory compromise identified patients at high ICU risk. As one of the first clinical COVID-19 descriptions from Uzbekistan, these data provide a baseline for preparedness in Central Asia.
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BibTeX
@misc{rakhimov2026clinical,
title = {{Clinical features of COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the Tashkent State Medical University and risk factors for intensive care unit admission: a cross-sectional study from Uzbekistan, Central Asia}},
author = {B. Rakhimov and J. Choi and K. Kim and L. Tuychiev and A. Shadmanov and B. Mamatkulov},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.28.26361631},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.26361631v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Clinical features of COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the Tashkent State Medical University and risk factors for intensive care unit admission: a cross-sectional study from Uzbekistan, Central Asia
AU - B. Rakhimov
AU - J. Choi
AU - K. Kim
AU - L. Tuychiev
AU - A. Shadmanov
AU - B. Mamatkulov
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/28
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.28.26361631
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.26361631v1
AB - BackgroundThe clinical course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the ability to anticipate which patients will require intensive care, were poorly characterized in Central Asia during the first pandemic wave. We aimed to describe the clinical features of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at the Tashkent State Medical University, Uzbekistan, and to identify risk factors for intensive care unit (ICU) admission. MethodsIn this single-centre cross-sectional study, we reviewed the records of 2500 consecutive patients hospitalized between 11 April and 8 August 2020. Patients were grouped as asymptomatic or symptomatic, and symptomatic patients were compared by ICU versus non-ICU status. Groups were compared with chi-square or Fishers exact and Mann-Whitney U tests. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression identified risk factors for ICU admission. ResultsOf 2500 patients (median age 36 years; 60.9% male), 989 (39.6%) were asymptomatic and 1511 (60.4%) symptomatic. In total, 129 (5.2%) were admitted to the ICU and 38 (1.5%) died. ICU patients were older (median 56 vs 40.5 years) and more often had bilateral pneumonia, oxygen desaturation and cardiometabolic comorbidity. In the multivariable model (AUC 0.82), the independent predictors of ICU admission were ischemic heart disease (aOR 4.20), shortness of breath (aOR 3.22), hypertensive heart disease (aOR 2.93) and male sex (aOR 2.00). ConclusionsOlder age, cardiometabolic comorbidity and respiratory compromise identified patients at high ICU risk. As one of the first clinical COVID-19 descriptions from Uzbekistan, these data provide a baseline for preparedness in Central Asia.
ER -