Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 in non-epidemic areas: report of 57 cases

Abstract

Objective To investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in non-endemic areas. Methods From January 2020, the Nanjing Public Health Medical Center began to treat confirmed patients. Retrospective analysis was carried out in 57 patients with identified novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia and having been discharged for the epidemiological characteristics, clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory test results, and CT images. Results The 57 patients were at an age ranging from 5 to 97 years (median 37 years), and 29 males (50.9%) and 28 females (49.1%). Among them, 35 cases had clear contact with the epidemic area Wuhan, and 16 were clustered cases. The average incubation period was 7.4 d for the disease. In them, 54 cases occurred locally, 23 patients had fever as the first symptom, and 13 patients had normal temperature. Other main first symptoms included dry cough (14 cases, 24.6%) and body aches and fatigue (5 cases, 8.8%). The patients with decreased peripheral white blood cell count accounted for 26.3%, those with reduced lymphatic or eosinophils count for 47.4%, those with increased average platelet volume for 24.7%, elevated serum ALT or AST levels for 15.8%, raised CKMB for 5.3%, and those with decreased blood potassium for 40.4%. All patients had lung illness and were positive to nucleic acid test, and 66.7% of them got both lung involved. Of the 57 patients, 26.3% were mild and 73.7% were ordinary. Their average length of hospital stay was 10.1 d, and they had an average course of 15.6 d. All of them were treated with interferon αb1 combined with acetylcysteine, 47 cases were combined with kriging, and 18 cases with abidol. All the 57 cases were improved and discharged. Conclusion All these cases in Najing are almost imported from the epidemic area. The clinical classification is mainly ordinary type. Low fever, dry cough, sore throat and systemic soreness, decreased lymphocytes, ground glass shadow in CT images, and positive to nucleic acids are the main clinical features of the disease.

Keywords

• covid-19
• pneumonia
• non-epidemic areas
• epidemiology