ABSTRACT
Objective: To clarify the clinical features of cured patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the relevance of IgM and IgG testing.Methods: A total of 187 cured COVID-19 patients with antibody test were followed up every two weeks at Guangzhou Eighth People's hospital. Assessment for general condition, symptoms, epidemiological contact history, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, and antibody tests were performed and recorded. Information from Guangzhou CDC was also screened.Results: There were 154 (82.4%) patients with positive results for IgG and 35 (18.7%) patients with positive results for IgM. PCR assay was positive in 10 (5.3%) patients. Neither IgG nor IgM results showed a relationship with PCR test results (all P > 0.05). No re-infection was found in the cured patients. Among people who were in close contact with the cured patients, no one was diagnosed with COVID-19 as reported both by the cured patients and the Guangzhou CDC. Factors associated with appearance of IgG comprised hospitalization days (OR: 1.07, 95%CI: 1.02-1.13, P = 0.004) and antibiotics treatment (OR: 2.78, 95%CI: 1.10-7.01, P = 0.031) .Conclusion: In our study, neither re-infection nor human-to-human transmission was found in cured patients with COVID-19. Additionally, neither IgG nor IgM can be used to replace the PCR test in cured patients.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Coronavirus InfectionsABSTRACT
Objective: To clarify the outcomes of elderly patients with COVID-19.Methods: All 265 confirmed adult patients with COVID-19 were included in this retrospective study, 43 (16.2%) of whom were 65 years and older. Electronic medical records of the subjects were reviewed to obtain information on clinical characteristics and outcomes. The allocations of medical resource were also recorded.Results: Only one death case occurred in the elderly. The mortality of elderly patients was no higher than that of young patients (2.3% vs. 0%, P = 0.126). The cure rate was 95.3% in elderly patients and 99.5% in young patients (P = 0.067), and the duration of hospitalization is 27 days in elderly patients and 18 days in young patients (P = 0.001). The elderly suffered from more comorbidities (67.4% vs. 24.8%, P < 0.001), most of which is hypertension. Significantly more severe cases occurred in elderly patients compared with young patients (37.2% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.004). The elderly were more likely to present with complications including acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute myocardial injury, septic shock and acute kidney injury (all P < 0.05), respectively. No medical staffs were infected during the treatment of COVID-19.Conclusion: The cure rate and the mortality of the elderly seemed to be no worse than that of the young, though the elderly were with longer hospitalization. Elderly patients with COVID-19 could be treatable if handled properly. More severe cases and complications in elderly patients should prompt for more complex treatment and special considerations.