Epidemiological and clinical features of 200 hospitalized patients with Corona Virus Disease 2019 outside Wuhan, China: A descriptive study

Yang, Luhuan; Liu, Jinglan; Zhang, Rong; Li, Mingwu; Li, Zifeng; Zhou, Xiaojing; Hu, Chuanjun; Tian, Fei; Zhou, Fating; Lei, Yunhong

BACKGROUND: The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide, with especially severe epidemics occurring in cities across China. OBJECTIVES: To report the epidemiological and clinical futures of the 200 patients infected with COVID-19 in Yichang, Hubei Province, China. STUDY DESIGN: 200 patients confirmed with COVID-19 in a designated hospital in Yichang from Jan 30 to Feb 8, 2020 were investigated retrospectively. The epidemiological data and clinical characteristics were collected. The data between the ICU patients and non-ICU patients were compared. The patients were followed up till Feb 26, 2020. RESULTS: Of the 200 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, 98 (49.0%) were male, and the mean age was 55 years. Eighty-seven (43.5%) had no linkage to Wuhan or contact history. Familial clustering was found in 34 patients. Sixtyfive (32.5%) suffered from chronic diseases. The common symptoms included fever (171[85.5%]), cough (116[58.0%]), and fatigue (64[32%]). Most patients had lymphopenia. One hundred and seventy-two (86%) patients showed typical imaging findings of viral pneumonia. Most patients received antiviral, antibiotic, and corticosteroid treatment. Compared with the non-ICU patients, 29 (14.5%) patients in the ICU were older and more likely to show dyspnea and complications including ARDS. As of Feb 26, 15 (51.7%) patients in the ICU had died. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 infection was of clustering onset and can cause severe respiratory disease and even death. The mortality of ICU patients with COVID-19 was considerably high.