Open AccessClinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 long-term nucleic acid positive patients
Author(s) -
Xuan Zhu,
Xinxin Zhu,
Min Wang,
Fang Yang,
Zhibing Sun,
Xiuwen Yang,
Yongsheng Yan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
technology and health care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.281
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1878-7401
pISSN - 0928-7329
DOI - 10.3233/thc-212921
Subject(s) - medicine , covid-19 , nucleic acid test , hydroxychloroquine , gastroenterology , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty)
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) long-term nucleic acid positive patients (hereinafter referred to as CLTAPs). METHODS: Patients were recruited from the Xiaogan Central Hospital between 16 January 2020 and 28 March 2020. Among the 562 cases of patients with laboratory-identified COVID-19 infection by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qtPCR), 19 cases of COVID-19 patients with more than 41 days from the first to the last time of nucleic acid test were selected as the study group, and 76 cases of age- and gender-matched COVID-19 patients were selected as the control group (hereinafter referred to as C-CLTAPs). Demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, laboratory examination and computed tomography (CT) imaging characteristics were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: On admission, among the 562 cases of patients with COVID-19, there were 398 cases of ordinary COVID-19 patients, 99 cases of severe COVID-19 patients and 99 cases of critical COVID-19 patients. CLTAPs had milder clinical symptoms and longer viral shedding time in comparison to C-CLTAPs. Compared to C-CLTAPs, CLTAPs had a lower infection index at admission. CLTAPs used less oxygen therapy and a higher proportion of hydroxychloroquine treatment in comparison to C-CLTAPs. In comparison to C-CLTAPs, CLTAPs showed slower pulmonary CT progression and faster pulmonary CT absorption. CONCLUSION: In this study, out of the 562 cases, we found 19 CLTAPs. The clinical differences between CLTAPs and C-CLTAPs were compared and analyzed. We hope that these finding can provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of CLTAPs.