tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Drug Discov Ther
. 2023 Feb 26.
doi: 10.5582/ddt.2022.01111. Online ahead of print.
Age distribution and disease severity of COVID-19 patients continued to change in a time-dependent manner from May 2021 to April 2022 in the regional core hospital in Japan
Futoshi Kawaura[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Takuya Kishi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Tadashi Yamamoto[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Shiki Nakayama[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Taku Goto[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Reimi Tsurusawa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Toshio Katagiri[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kohei Yamanouchi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Ayako Matsuo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Naomi Kobayashi-Watanabe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tomohiro Imamura[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yoshitaka Hirooka[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kuniyasu Takagi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Tsukuru Umemura[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kazuma Fujimoto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Shinichiro Hayashi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ayako Takamori[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The present retrospective study aimed to examine the real-world data regarding time-dependent changes in the age distribution of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as well as the severity and infectivity in a regional core hospital in Japan. Patients with COVID-19 who visited the fever outpatient branch in Takagi Hospital during phase I (May 1 to December 31, 2021), and during phase II (January 1 to April 30, 2022) were evaluated. The age distribution of outpatients and the characteristics of inpatients aged > 75 years were compared between phases I and II. The age distribution of outpatients shifted from the older generation in phase I to the younger generation in phase II (p < 0.01). Disease severity might be reduced in a time-dependent manner with a decrease in the hospitalization rate (phase I: 145/368 (39.4%); phase II: 104/1496 (7.0%); p < 0.01) and mortality rate (phase I: 10/368 (2.7%); phase II: 7/1496 (0.5%); p < 0.01). The number of patients increased in phase II (374.0/month) compared to that in phase I (36.8/month). Regarding the older inpatients, the disease severity of COVID-19 and hospitalization days were reduced in phase II compared to those in phase I (p < 0.01, each). In conclusion, the present study suggests a change in the age distribution of patients with COVID-19, a decrease in toxicity, and an increase in infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in a time-dependent manner.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus disease 2019; infectivity; mortality; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
. 2023 Feb 26.
doi: 10.5582/ddt.2022.01111. Online ahead of print.
Age distribution and disease severity of COVID-19 patients continued to change in a time-dependent manner from May 2021 to April 2022 in the regional core hospital in Japan
Futoshi Kawaura[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Takuya Kishi[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Tadashi Yamamoto[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Shiki Nakayama[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Taku Goto[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Reimi Tsurusawa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Toshio Katagiri[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kohei Yamanouchi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Ayako Matsuo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Naomi Kobayashi-Watanabe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tomohiro Imamura[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yoshitaka Hirooka[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kuniyasu Takagi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Tsukuru Umemura[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kazuma Fujimoto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Shinichiro Hayashi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ayako Takamori[SUP] 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36843034
- DOI: 10.5582/ddt.2022.01111
Abstract
The present retrospective study aimed to examine the real-world data regarding time-dependent changes in the age distribution of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as well as the severity and infectivity in a regional core hospital in Japan. Patients with COVID-19 who visited the fever outpatient branch in Takagi Hospital during phase I (May 1 to December 31, 2021), and during phase II (January 1 to April 30, 2022) were evaluated. The age distribution of outpatients and the characteristics of inpatients aged > 75 years were compared between phases I and II. The age distribution of outpatients shifted from the older generation in phase I to the younger generation in phase II (p < 0.01). Disease severity might be reduced in a time-dependent manner with a decrease in the hospitalization rate (phase I: 145/368 (39.4%); phase II: 104/1496 (7.0%); p < 0.01) and mortality rate (phase I: 10/368 (2.7%); phase II: 7/1496 (0.5%); p < 0.01). The number of patients increased in phase II (374.0/month) compared to that in phase I (36.8/month). Regarding the older inpatients, the disease severity of COVID-19 and hospitalization days were reduced in phase II compared to those in phase I (p < 0.01, each). In conclusion, the present study suggests a change in the age distribution of patients with COVID-19, a decrease in toxicity, and an increase in infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in a time-dependent manner.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus disease 2019; infectivity; mortality; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.