Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Apr 6, 2021; 9(10): 2205-2217
Published online Apr 6, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i10.2205
Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 65 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Liaoning, China
Wei Zhang, Yuan Ban, Yun-Hai Wu, Jin-Yang Liu, Xing-Hai Li, Hao Wu, Huan Li, Rui Chen, Xiao-Xu Yu, Rui Zheng
Wei Zhang, Hao Wu, Huan Li, Rui Chen, Xiao-Xu Yu, Rui Zheng, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, China
Yuan Ban, Yun-Hai Wu, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Sixth People's Hospital of Shenyang, Shenyang 110006, Liaoning Province, China
Jin-Yang Liu, Xing-Hai Li, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Sixth People's Hospital of Shenyang, Shenyang 110006, Liaoning Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang W contributed to study design, data analysis, and manuscript drafting and revision; Ban Y, Wu YH, Liu JY, and Li XH contributed to this work with regard to data collection and manuscript revision; Wu H, Li H, Chen R, and Yu XX contributed to data analysis and manuscript revision; Zheng R had a contribution in conceptual work, study design, and revising of the manuscript; all co-authors have given the final approval of the version to be published.
Supported by 345 Talent Program of Shengjing Hospital; and Scientific Research Projects Related to Prevention and Control of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) of China Medical University, No. 1210120010.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee from Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University (reference number 2020PS065K).
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose.
Data sharing statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Rui Zheng, MD, PhD, Chief Physician, Deputy Director, Doctor, Professor, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, China. zhengr@sj-hospital.org
Received: September 22, 2020
Peer-review started: September 22, 2020
First decision: December 13, 2020
Revised: January 15, 2021
Accepted: February 11, 2021
Article in press: February 11, 2021
Published online: April 6, 2021
Processing time: 182 Days and 5.2 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly to multiple countries, and the illness severity, the atypical clinical presentation, and lack of specific anti-viral treatment have posed a challenge for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

Research motivation

Understanding the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 cases in different geographical areas are essential to improve the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.

Research objectives

This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics and main therapeutic strategy for confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Liaoning Province, China.

Research methods

A total of 65 adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled in this retrospective study from January 20 to February 29, 2020 in Liaoning Province, China. Based on the severity of COVID-19, the patients were divided into nonsevere and severe groups.

Research results

Compared with nonsevere patients (75.4%), severe patients (24.6%) had significantly lower lymphocyte counts, elevated levels of lactate dehydrogenase and C-reactive protein, and a longer median duration of viral shedding. The overall median viral shedding time was 19.5 d, and the longest was 53 d. Severe patients were more frequently treated with lopinavir/ritonavir, antibiotics, glucocorticoid therapy, immunoglobulin, thymosin, and oxygen support.

Research conclusions

Our findings may facilitate the identification of severe cases and inform clinical treatment and quarantine decisions regarding COVID-19 patients.

Research perspectives

The identification of severe cases with COVID-19 may help prevent poor outcomes, while the estimated duration of viral shedding may help inform quarantine decisions and prevent acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spread.