Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of the Severe Covid-19 Infections: First Report from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Goshayeshi, L.; Akbari Rad, M.; Bergquist, R.; Allahyari, A.; MUMS Covid-19 Research Team,; Hoseini, B.

Purpose. To report a comparison between fatalities and recovery of the severe Covid-19 infected patients based on demographic and clinical characteristics. Methods. Between 5 March and 12 May 2020, of 4,000 patients, 1,278 were laboratory confirmed to be Covid-19 infection in Mashhad, Iran. Finally, 334 deceased and 733 recovered cases were assessed in terms of demography, exposure history, health outcomes and clinical symptoms. Results. Mean (SD) age for confirmed patients, for deceased cases and for recovered cases. Mean (SD) age for all confirmed-patients was 56.9 (18.74), for the fatalities 67.26 (15.77) and for those recovered 52.82 (17.91) years. The rise of the mortality rate in relation to seniority was statistically significant. Despite a high frequency of Covid-19 infections accrued in the age groups of 30-39 and 40-49 years, most of these cases (88.2 and 85.8%, respectively) recovered. The median (IQR) duration of hospitalization was 9.0 (9) days. The most prevalent co-morbidities were cardiovascular disorders (21%) and diabetes (16.3%). Fever (63.8%), cough (68.1%), and dyspnoea (72.7%) were the most frequent clinical symptoms. 5.2% of infected-cases were healthcare workers that two (3%) of them died. Most patients (48%) received both antiviral and antibiotic therapy. The mortality rate of Kaletra combination prescribed for severe cases was 46.7%. Conclusions. The characteristics of Covid-19 varied from died to survived infected patients. There were a higher number of fatalities in younger patients than in international studies. Diabetes and cardiovascular disorders were most prevalent co-morbidities. The study could not address the case-fatality rate of Covid-19 infection that remains for future studies.