Press Release
Friday, 21 February 2020
Clinical characteristics of 140 patients infected by SARS‐CoV‐2
in Wuhan, China
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.14238
Wuhan University, Departments of Allergology, Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and Radiology published together with the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF) the clinical characteristics of 140 patients infected by Wuhan Corona Virus (COVID-19). The article appeared online today in Allergy, the official Journal of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. As of today, globally, 75,204 cases were confirmed, including 74,280 cases in China and 924 cases outside of China. 2006 patients have died from now officially named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus -2 infection. 

The study reports randomly selected and community acquired 140 hospitalized COVID-19 cases. Male female ratio was 1:1 and median age was 57. None of the cases were related to Huanan wet market of wild animals. They were diagnosed by PCR test for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus -2 (SARS-CoV-2). Main symptoms at admission were fever (91.7%), cough (75.0%), fatigue (75.0%), gastrointestinal symptoms (39.6%) and chest tightness or dyspnea (36.7%).

 

Hypertension (30.0%) and diabetes mellitus (12.1%) were the most common comorbidities. Since many of the severe virus infections take place in asthma and COPD patients, investigation of asthma, allergies and COPD were specifically focused. Interestingly, asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, food allergy were not reported by any of the patients and COPD was only in 1.4 % of the patients.  Asthma prevalence is 4.2 %, allergic rhinitis is 9.7 % and COPD is 13.7 % in the same age group in China, suggesting that Coronavirus pneumonia is not specifically selecting these patients. In addition, active smokers were only 1.4% of the COVID-19 cases which is the habit of 27.3 % of the individuals in China.

 

As a rapid diagnosis criteria before virus-specific tests are finalized, which may suggest immediate isolation of the patients, lymphopenia (75.4%) and eosinopenia (52.9%) were observed in patients. 58 of the 140 patients (41.4%) were severely affected in their lungs. Severe cases were elder patients, with more comorbidities, and with higher levels of acute phase reactants, CRP, procalcitonin and D-Dimer.

 

Editor in Chief of Allergy, Prof. Dr. Cezmi Akdis the Director of the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF) comments that this study reports the cases as detailed and as up to date as possible, which will be helpful to isolate the patients early enough to avoid the dissemination of the epidemics. Sharing detailed patient information as fast as possible with the public and scientific community will certainly help to inform the doctors to be prepared for early and rapid diagnosis of the suspected cases, taking the measures for patient isolation and identification of the severe cases.

 

The authors acknowledge all of the healthcare professionals, who helped and took care of the patients with COVID-19 for their great effort and their selfless dedication in the medical operation against SARS-CoV-2.

Prof. Yadong Gao, the senior author was working in the SIAF and returned back to Wuhan on the 15th of January to fight with the epidemics.
Prof. Cezmi A. Akdis
Director
Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF)
University of Zurich
Herman-Burchard-Strasse 9
CH-7265 Davos Wolfgang
View this email in your browser
You are receiving this email because of your relationship with SIAF and WIRM. Please reconfirm your interest in receiving emails from us. If you do not wish to receive any more emails, you can unsubscribe here.

Herman-Burchard-Strasse 9, CH-7265 Davos Wolfgang

Unsubscribe