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Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of elderly patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19), in order to provide scientific evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 in elderly patients.Methods:Clinical data of 102 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the B11 East Ward of the Zhongfaxincheng campus and the E1-3 ward of the Guanggu Campus of Tongji Hospital affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan from 1 February 2020 to 28 February 2020 were retrospectively collected and analyzed.Patients were categorized into 2 groups: the elderly group(≥60 years old)and the young and middle-aged group(<60 years old). Differences in epidemiological features, demographics, clinical symptoms, laboratory results and imaging findings between the two groups were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among 102 patients with COVID-19, 58 were in the elderly group(≥60 years old), with a median age of 67.0(63.8, 71.0)years old, and 44 in the young and middle-aged group(<60 years old), with a median age of 47.5(38.0, 51.8)years old.There was no significant difference in gender ratio between the two groups( χ2=0.033, P=0.855). Of 102 patients, 42.0%(21/50)had close contact with an infected person, 14.0%(7/50)were from infection clusters, and 18.0%(9/50)had suspected hospital-acquired infections.Fever and cough remained the most common symptoms, but gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, poor appetite, diarrhea and muscle cramps were also warning signs.Fatigue and cough were the most common presenting symptoms in elderly male patients.Bilateral patchy infiltrates(57.9%, 22/38)and ground-glass opacities(42.1%, 16/38)were the main imaging features and 42.1%(16/38)patients had multiple areas of the lungs involved.Over 50% patients had increased levels of blood glucose, D-dimer, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, multiple cytokines and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, as well as decreased levels of albumin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, lymphocytes and serum calcium.Compared with the young and middle-aged group, the elderly group had higher rates of abnormality in levels of D-dimer and serum calcium( χ2=7.067 and 4.166, P=0.008 and 0.041). Conclusions:Fever and cough are the most common symptoms in elderly patients with COVID-19.Elderly patients with COVID-19 have multiple abnormalities in clinical laboratory test results, which show a certain level of specificity compared with young and middle-aged patients.
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ObjectiveTo compare the sex differences in the clinical findings among patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). MethodsWe retrospectively collected data of 47 patients diagnosed as severe type of COVID-19 from February 8 to 22, 2020, including demographics, illness history, physical examination, laboratory test, management, and compared differences between men and women. ResultsOf the 47 patients, 28 (59.6%) were men. The median age was 62 years, and 30 (63.8%) had comorbidities. The initial symptoms were mainly fever (34 [72.3%]), cough (36 [76.6%]), myalgia (5 [10.6%]) and fatigue (7 [14.9%]). Procalcitonin level was higher in men than in women (0.08 vs. 0.04ng/ml, p=0.002). N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide increased in 16 (57.1%) men and 5 (26.3%) women (p=0.037). Five men (17.9%) had detected positive influenza A antibody, but no women. During 2-week admission, 5 (17.9%) men and 1 (5.3%) woman were reclassified into the critical type due to deterioration. Mortality was 3.6% in men and 0 in women respectively. Four (21.1%) women and one man (3.6%) recovered and discharged from hospital. ConclusionSex differences may exist in COVID-19 patients of severe type. Men are likely to have more complicated clinical condition and worse in-hospital outcomes as compared to women.
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Objective To investigate the characteristics of early changes in serum IL-17 and IFN-γ levels in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Methods 70 hospitalized elderly patients with AMI and 35 healthy people were selected.Serum level of interleukin-17 (IL 17) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results Serum levels of IL17 and IFN-γ showed increasing trends in elderly patients with AMI as compared with that in control group,but there were no significant differences between the two group [(35.73 30.28) pg/ml vs.(28.70±17.12) pg/ml,(15.29±14.64) pg/ml vs.(11.38±10.10) pg/ml,t=0.144 and 0.138,P=0.365 and 0.377].There were correlations between serum IL-17 and IFN γ levels in patients with AMI and controls(r=0.936 and 0.989,both P=0.00).Serum levels of IL-17 or IFN-γhad no significant differences between AMI patients with well and poor prognosis [(35.43± 34.36) ng/L vs.(36.11±30.16) ng/L,(13.90±13.98) ng/L vs.(15.99±14.14) ng/L,U=0.266 and 0.166,P=0.687 and 0.668].Conclusions Serum IL-17 level has an increasing trend in AMI patients within 24h,but has no statistical significant.Serum IL 17 level has a significantly positively correlation with serum IFN γ level in the elderly,but serum levels of IL-17 or IFN γ have no significant correlations with short term prognosis in elderly patients with AMI.
