COVID-19 has become a global pandemic
with the spectrum of disease from asymptomatic to severe
cases requiring intensive care unit admissions linked to
higher mortality.The reported clinical profiles varied
among different geographical regions and there was a
scarcity of data of COVID-19 in our scenario. Thus we
aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical profiles
of COVID-19 patients admitted at Bheri Hospital,
Nepalgunj, Nepal.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was
conducted from September to November 2020, among
COVID-19 cases admitted at Bheri Hospital. The
sociodemographic data, clinical features, comorbidities,
treatment and outcome data were entered in Microsoft
Excel and analyzed using statistical package for social
science (SPSS) version 20.
Results: Of 428 patients 58.87 % were male with 66.5% of
patients in 20 to 50 years age group. Fever (75.70%) was
the most common symptom followed by cough and
myalgia with 69.15%, 44.15% respectively. Diabetes
(11.21%) and hypertension (9.57%) was common
comorbidities. Deranged liver enzymes (AST 44%, ALT
46%), followed by neutrophilia (39%), lymphopenia
(32%) were common laboratory findings. Patchy
infiltrates, ground glass opacity and consolidation were
common X-ray findings with 13%, 10%, and 9%
respectively. Remdesivir was used in 8.17%, convalescent
plasma therapy in 2.1% and both in 5.67% of the
patients. 22.18% patients required ICU admissions. The
case fatality rate was 0.86% within the study period.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that middle-aged
patients with pre-existing comorbid conditions present
with relatively severe COVID-19 disease and have poorer
outcomes.
Keywords : COVID-19; Clinical Profile; Epidemiological Study; Pandemic