Causes of Death in COVID-19: A Minireview

Abstract

Background: More than two million people have died worldwide as a result of the new corona strain virus SARS-CoV-2 and the associated COVID-19 syndrome. Older patients with pre-existing health problems are more likely to die from their illness. We found that septic shock and multiple failures were the most common causes of death, mainly due to inflammation of the lungs, although there was no definitive study on the causes of death and the role of pre-existing conditions. In a few cases, respiratory failure caused by excessive alveolar injury was the cause of immediate death. Comorbidities such as asthma, heart disease, and obesity were present in most cases. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that COVID-19 was related to death in the majority of decedents, rather than being a direct product of pre-existing health conditions and comorbidities. As a result, we conclude that COVID-19 killed most patients, with pre-existing health issues playing only a minor role in the death mechanism.