The Clinical Characteristics of Early Cases with 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease in Tabriz, Iran

Elnaz  Asghari; Farnaz  Rahmani; Mina   Hosseinzadeh; Nader   Mahdavi; Anna  Praskova; Shaqayeq   Targhaq; Mohammad   Khajehgoodari

doi:10.18502/jhs.v9i1.5968

Elnaz Asghari Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Farnaz Rahmani Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Mina Hosseinzadeh Department of Community Health Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Nader Mahdavi PhD Candidate in Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology, Student Research Committee, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Anna Praskova Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
Shaqayeq Targhaq Nursing Student, Department of Community Health Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Faculty, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Mohammad Khajehgoodari International Valiasr Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jhs.v9i1.5968

Keywords: COVID-19, Respiratory Infection, Epidemiology, Clinical Characteristics

Abstract

Background and Purpose: COVID-19 is a new infectious-disease first identified in December 2019 in China, and since it spread globally, it resulted in a Pandemic. Much research is needed to understand the disease, and especially its clinical characteristics. The aim of present study was to explore the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19 in Tabriz, Iran.

Materials and Methods: This was a case series single center study that focused retrospectively on the clinical characteristics of 140 early consecutive cases with confirmed COVID-19, who were hospitalized at one of the referral hospitals for COVID-19 patients of Tabriz, from March 20 to May 3, 2020. We used patients’ records to obtain the data, which were analyzed by SPSS Version 16 using descriptive and analytic statistics (Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney’s, and Chi-square test).

Results: Findings showed that 34 out of 140 patients deceased. The highest percentage of patients were in the age range of 65 years and over. The most common symptom on admission was dry-cough (67.9%), followed by shortness of breath (55.7%), and fever (51.5%). During hospitalization, 27.1% showed an increase in white-blood-cell count. Only 20% were ventilated and others received oxygen by cannula, and/or mask. Recovered patients reported significant lower rates of pre-existing comorbid conditions than patients who died (p= .02).

Conclusion: This single center study with a relatively small sample size showed that the most common symptom on admission among patients with COVID-19 was dry-cough, shortness of breath, and fever. The finding is mostly in accordance with the current evidence seen around the World.