Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of 99 Cases of 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Pneumonia in Wuhan, China

Background: Since December 2019, a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) associated pneumonia has emerged in Wuhan, China. The study aimed to further clarify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 2019-nCoV pneumonia. Methods: 99 cases admitted to Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital during January 1 to 20, 2020 and confirmed by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) test were analyzed for epidemiological, demographic, clinical, radiological features, and laboratory data. Findings: Of the 99 patients with 2019-nCoV pneumonia, 49 (49%) had a history of exposure to the South China Seafood Wholesale Market. The average age of the patients was 62.85 ± 11.99 years, including 67 males and 32 females. 2019-nCoV was detected in all patients by RT-PCR, and some of them also by serological testing, and metagenomics sequencing analysis. 50 cases (50.51%) had chronic basic diseases. Patients had clinical manifestations of fever (83%), cough (82%), shortness of breath (31%), muscle aches (11%), headache (8%), fuzzy confusion (7%), chest pain (2%), and diarrhea (2%). According to imaging examination, 74 patients showed bilateral pneumonia (74.75%), 25 patients showed multiple mottled and ground-glass opacity, and 1 patient had pneumothorax. Most patients received antiviral, antibiotics, supportive treatments, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and had good prognosis. 17 patients developed acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and among them, 2 patients worsened in a short period of time and died of multiple organ failure. Interpretation: The infection of the 2019-nCoV can result in severe and even fatal respiratory disease like ARDS. It is very important to actively prevent complications and secondary infections, treat underlying diseases, and provide timely organ function support. Early diagnosis, early isolation, multiple treatment, and intervention of CRRT and ECMO when necessary can effectively reduce mortality caused by severe coronavirus pneumonia. Funding: National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2017YFC1309700) Declaration of Interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work. Ethical Approval: The study was approved by Jinyintan Hospital Ethics Committee and written informed consent was obtained from all patients involved before enrolment.