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COVID-19, An early investigation from exposure to treatment outcomes in Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Ali Ashraf1, Nasim Shokouhi2, Elham Shirali2, Fateme Davari-Tanha2, Kiana Shirani3, Omeed Memar4, Alireza Kamalipour5, Ayein Azarnoush6, Avin Mabadi7, Adele Ossareh8, Milad Sanginabadi9, Talat Mokhtari Azad10, Leila Aghaghazvini9, Sara Ghaderkhani2, Tahereh Poordast11, Alieh Pourdast12, Pershang Nazemi2
1 Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2 Department of Infectious Diseases, Yas Complex Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3 Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
4 Academic Dermatology and Skin Cancer Institute, Chicago, IL, USA
5 Department of Ophthalmology, Hamilton Glaucoma Center, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA; MPH Department, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
6 Student Research Committee, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
7 Student Research Committee, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
8 Department of Statistics, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
9 Department of Radiology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
10 The National Influenza Centre, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
11 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
12 Department of Infectious Diseases, Yas Complex Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences; Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS (IRCHA), Tehran, Iran
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Pershang Nazemi
N Villa Road, District 7, Tehran
Iran
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jrms.JRMS_1088_20
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Background: There is a growing need for information regarding the recent coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). We present a comprehensive report of COVID-19 patients in Iran. Materials and Methods: One hundred hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were studied. Data on potential source of exposure, demographic, clinical, and paraclinical features, therapy outcome, and postdischarge follow-up were analyzed. Results: The median age of the patients was 58 years, and the majority of the patients (72.7%) were above 50 years of age. Fever was present in 45.2% of the patients on admission. The most common clinical symptoms were shortness of breath (74%) and cough (68%). Most patients had elevated C-reactive protein (92.3%), elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (82.9%), and lymphocytopenia (74.2%) on admission. Lower lobes of the lung were most commonly involved, and ground-glass opacity (81.8%) was the most frequent finding in computed tomography scans. The administration of hydroxychloroquine improved the clinical outcome of the patients. Lopinavir/ritonavir was efficacious at younger ages. Of the 70 discharged patients, 40% had symptom aggravation, 8.6% were readmitted to the hospital, and three patients (4.3%) died. Conclusion: This report demonstrates a heterogeneous nature of clinical manifestations in patients affected with COVID19. The most common presenting symptoms are nonspecific, so attention should be made on broader testing, especially in age groups with the greatest risk and younger individuals who can serve as carriers of the disease. Hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir (in younger age group) can be potential treatment options. Finally, patients discharged from the hospital should be followed up because of potential symptom aggravation.
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