COVID-19 in older adults: Retrospective cohort study in a tertiary hospital in Japan.

AIM: We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, treatment and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, in particular older patients, admitted to tertiary and partner hospitals in Saitama, Japan. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to tertiary and partner hospitals in Saitama, Japan. Twenty-six patients with COVID-19 were categorized into two groups, i.e., older (≥75 years) and younger adults (≤74 years). We evaluated the clinical characteristics, comorbidities, symptoms, laboratory test results, treatments and outcomes of the patients. RESULTS: The majority of the older patients had comorbidities, such as dementia, cardiovascular disease and bone fractures. Comorbidities were significantly more frequent in older patients than younger patients. No association was found between age and body temperature or the incidence of respiratory failure. White blood cell count was significantly lower in older patients (P = 0.018) and the decrease in lymphocytes was greater in younger patients (P = 0.009). Computed tomography (CT) of all patients showed non-segmental, peripherally dominant ground-glass opacities consistent with COVID-19 pneumonia. In older patients, antiviral drugs, anticoagulants and anti-inflammatory drugs were administered on a compassionate use basis. The difference in mortality between the older and the younger patients was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In older patients, typical clinical symptoms and blood test changes were often absent; however, CT always contained typical findings of COVID-19, suggesting that CT may be a useful diagnostic tool. Our report illustrates that appropriate treatment, taking patient background into consideration, may improve their condition regardless of age. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 1044-1049.

SARS-CoV-2 Screening Test for Japanese Returnees From Wuhan, China, January 2020.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was found to be the causative microorganism of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which started to spread in Wuhan, China. This study was to evaluate the effectiveness of questionnaire, symptoms-based screening, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening of returnees from COVID-19-endemic areas on a chartered flight, to examine the proportion of infected persons and the proportion of asymptomatic persons among infected persons who returned from Wuhan. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was done in 7 tertiary medical institutions in Japan. A total of 566 Japanese who returned from Wuhan participated in the study. RESULTS: Overall, 11 of the 566 passengers had a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR result for pharyngeal swabs and 6 were asymptomatic. Only fever differed between SARS-CoV-2-positive and -negative individuals (P < .043). Six of the 11 PCR-positive individuals were asymptomatic; 4 remained positive on day 10, and 1 asymptomatic person tested positive up to day 27. Two of the 11 were negative on the first PCR test and positive on the second. CONCLUSIONS: Our results will be important insights on screening returnees from locked-down cities, as well as providing important data on the proportion of asymptomatic individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2. A 13-day observation period and a second round of PCR may be effective to screen patients, including asymptomatic infections.