Clinical Features and Treatment of COVID-19 Patients in Northeast Chongqing.
BACKGROUND: The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China (SARS CoV-2) that began in December 2019 presents a significant and urgent threat to global health. This study was conducted to provide the international community with a deeper understanding of this new infectious disease.
METHODS: Epidemiological, clinical features, laboratory findings, radiological characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes of 135 patients in northeast Chongqing were collected and analyzed in this study.
RESULTS: A total of 135 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. The median age was 47 years (IQR 36-55), and there was no significant gender difference (53.3% men). The majority of patients had contact with people from the Wuhan area. Forty-three (31.9%) patients had underlying disease, primarily hypertension (13 [9.6%]), diabetes (12 [8.9%]), cardiovascular disease (7 [5.2%]), and malignancy (4 [3.0%]). Common symptoms included fever (120 [88.9%]), cough (102 [76.5%]), and fatigue (44 [32.5%]). Chest CT scans showed bilateral patchy shadows or ground glass opacity in the lungs of all of the patients. All of the patients received antiviral therapy (135 [100%] (Kaletra and interferon were both used), antibacterial therapy (59 [43.7%]), and corticosteroids (36 [26.7%]). In addition, many patients received traditional Chinese medicine (124 [91.8%]). It is suggested that patients should receive Kaletra early and should be treated by a combination of western and Chinese medicine. Compared with the mild cases, the severe cases had lower lymphocyte counts and higher plasma levels of Pt, APTT, D-dimer, LDH, PCT, ALB, CRP, and AST.
CONCLUSION: In this study, the clinic features and therapies of 135 COVID-19 patients were demonstrated. Kaletra and traditional Chinese medicine played an important role in the treatment of the viral pneumonia. Further studies are required to explore the role of Kaletra and traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of COVID-19. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.