Epidemiological, clinical, radiological characteristics and outcomes of medical staff with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: Analysis of 101 cases

Jie Liu, Liu Ouyang, Dan Yang, Xiaoyu Han, Yukun HanCao, Osamah Alwalid, Hanping Wu, Heshui Shi, Fan Yang, Chuansheng Zheng

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) in China had been reported. The predominant cause of the infection among medical staff remains unclear. We sought to explore the epidemiological, clinical characteristics and prognosis of infected medical staff. Methods: Medical staff who infected with SARS-Cov-2 and admitted to Union Hospital, Wuhan between 16 Jan to 25 Feb, 2020 were included in this single-centered, retrospective study. Data were compared by occupation and analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. Results: A total of 101 medical staff (32 males and 69 females; median age: 33) were included in this study and 74.3% were nurses. A small proportion of the cohort had contact with specimens (3%) as well as patients infected with SARS-Cov-2 in fever clinics (15%) and isolation wards (3%). 80% of medical staff showed abnormal IL-6 levels and 33% had lymphocytopenia. Chest CT mainly manifested as bilateral (62%), septal/subpleural (77%) and groundglass opacities (48%). The major differences between doctors and nurses manifested in laboratory indicators. As of the last observed date, no patient was transferred to intensive care unit or died. Fever (HR=0.57; 95% CI 0.36-0.90) and IL-6 levels greater than 2.9 pg/ml (HR=0.50; 95% CI 0.30-0.86) were unfavorable factors for discharge. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that the infection of medical staff mainly occurred at the early stages of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Wuhan, and only a small proportion of infection had an exact mode. Meanwhile, medical staff infected with COVID-19 have relatively milder symptoms and favorable clinical course than ordinary patients, which may be partly due to their medical expertise, younger age and less underlying diseases. The potential risk factors of fever and IL-6 levels greater than 2.9 pg/ml could help to identify medical staff with poor prognosis at an early stage.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1492-1501
Number of pages10
JournalInternational Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume18
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Clinical features
  • Computerized tomography
  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious disease
  • Medical staff

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Epidemiological, clinical, radiological characteristics and outcomes of medical staff with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: Analysis of 101 cases'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this