Report provides largest clinical and treatment data set from cases of new coronavirus in China

A new analysis, published in The Lancet, includes 99 patients with laboratory-confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) who were transferred to Jinyintan Hospital, an adult infectious disease hospital admitting the first 2019-nCoV cases from hospitals across Wuhan, between January 1 and January 20, 2020. The study includes the first 41 cases from Wuhan reported in The Lancet last week.

The authors combined clinical records, laboratory results, and imaging findings with epidemiological data. Most patients were middle-aged (average age 55.5 years) and male (67 patients), and around half had a history of exposure to the Huanan seafood market (49 patients)—most of whom (46 patients) worked at the market as managers or salespeople.

Around half of cases (50 cases) occurred in people with underlying chronic diseases including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (40 patients) and diabetes (12 patients). All patients admitted to hospital had pneumonia—most were infected in both lungs (74 patients). The majority also had fever (82 patients), cough (81), and a third experienced shortness of breath (31). Five critically ill patients also experienced coinfections with bacteria (1 patient) and fungi (4).

Most patients were treated with antivirals (75 patients), antibiotics (70), and oxygen therapy (75), and had a good prognosis. However, 17 patients developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), 11 of whom died of multiple organ failure.

More than half of patients (57 patients) are still in hospital, and almost a third (31 patients) have been discharged, as of 25 January, 2020.

The authors point out that while this is the largest study of its kind, involving 99 confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV, larger studies including patients from other cities and countries are needed to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of this novel coronavirus.