Clinical findings of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Jiangsu province, China: A retrospective, multi-center study

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2020 May 8;14(5):e0008280. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008280. eCollection 2020 May.

Abstract

Limited data are available for clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outside Wuhan. This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 and identify the risk factors for severe illness of COVID-19 in Jiangsu province, China. Clinical data of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were retrospectively collected in 8 hospitals from 8 cities of Jiangsu province, China. Clinical findings of COVID-19 patients were described and risk factors for severe illness of COVID-19 were analyzed. By Feb 10, 2020, 202 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. The median age of patients was 44.0 years (interquartile range, 33.0-54.0). 55 (27.2%) patients had comorbidities. At the onset of illness, the common symptoms were fever (156 [77.2%]) and cough (120 [59.4%]). 66 (32.7%) patients had lymphopenia. 193 (95.5%) patients had abnormal radiological findings. 11 (5.4%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit and none of the patients died. 23 (11.4%) patients had severe illness. Severe illness of COVID-19 was independently associated with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28 kg/m2 (odds ratio [OR], 9.219; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.731 to 31.126; P<0.001) and a known history of type 2 diabetes (OR, 4.326; 95% CI, 1.059 to 17.668; P = 0.041). In this case series in Jiangsu Province, COVID-19 patients had less severe symptoms and had better outcomes than the initial COVID-19 patients in Wuhan. The BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2 and a known history of type 2 diabetes were independent risk factors of severe illness in patients with COVID-19.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Betacoronavirus
  • Body Mass Index
  • COVID-19
  • China / epidemiology
  • Comorbidity
  • Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Coronavirus Infections / physiopathology
  • Cough / virology
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / complications
  • Female
  • Fever / virology
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units
  • Lymphopenia / virology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / physiopathology
  • Risk Factors
  • SARS-CoV-2

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 14380459). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.