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Respir Res
. 2020 Nov 26;21(1):314.
doi: 10.1186/s12931-020-01580-0.
Clinical characteristics of 134 convalescent patients with COVID-19 in Guizhou, China
Siqin Zhang 1 , Lin Liu 2 , Bin Yang 3 , Rou Li 4 , Jianhua Luo 1 , Jing Huang 5 , Yanjun Long 6 , Ying Huang 7 , Jianping Zhou 8 , Yan Zha 9 , Xiangyan Zhang 10
Affiliations
- PMID: 33243228
- DOI: 10.1186/s12931-020-01580-0
Abstract
Background: Previous studies have focused on the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Limited data are available for convalescent patients. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of discharged COVID-19 patients.
Methods: In this retrospective study, we extracted data for 134 convalescent patients with COVID-19 in Guizhou Provincial Staff Hospital from February 15 to March 31, 2020. Cases were analyzed on the basis of demographic, clinical, and laboratory data as well as radiological features.
Results: Of 134 convalescent patients with COVID-19, 19 (14.2%) were severe cases, while 115 (85.8%) were non-severe cases. The median patient age was 33 years (IQR, 21.8 to 46.3), and the cohort included 69 men and 65 women. Compared with non-severe cases, severe patients were older and had more chronic comorbidities, especially hypertension, diabetes, and thyroid disease (P < 0.05). Leukopenia was present in 32.1% of the convalescent patients and lymphocytopenia was present in 6.7%, both of which were more common in severe patients. 48 (35.8%) of discharged patients had elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase, which was more common in adults than in children (40.2% vs 13.6%, P = 0.018). A normal chest CT was found in 61 (45.5%) patients during rehabilitation. Severe patients had more ground-glass opacity, bilateral patchy shadowing, and fibrosis. No significant differences were observed in the positive rate of IgG and/or IgM antibodies between severe and non-severe patients.
Conclusion: Leukopenia, lymphopenia, ground-glass opacity, and fibrosis are common in discharged severe COVID-19 patients, and liver injury is common in discharged adult patients. We suggest physicians develop follow-up treatment plans based on the different clinical characteristics of convalescent patients.
Keywords: Clinical features; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Disease severity; Pneumonia.