Presenting features of COVID-19 in older people: relationships with frailty, inflammation and mortality

Key summary points Aim To characterise symptoms, key findings and clinical outcomes in older adults with COVID-19. Findings 12% of older individuals did not present with classical COVID-19 symptoms, though fever, dyspnoea, delirium and raised inflammation were associated with higher mortality. Compared with fitter older individuals, some measures of immune activity were lower in frailer patients. Message COVID-19 may present without cardinal symptoms as well as implicate a possible role for age-related changes in immunity in mediating the relationship between frailty and mortality.