On January 24, 2020 a group of 29 Chinese medical researchers published a report on 41 patients with corona virus. This team size reflects the urgency of their work. That’s because the Wuhan corona virus patients revealed a pattern of clinical features. Hence, funding came from Ministry of Science and Technology, and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission also contributed.
The Tale of 41 Wuhan Corona Virus Patients
First, a cluster of pneumonia cases developed unexpectedly in Wuhan beginning December 1, 2019. Then doctors realized they had a new form of corona virus and therefore transferred these patients to a designated hospital. Their next step was to collect data for World Health Organization and International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium. They sourced this from electronic records, as well information from friends and family.
The Main Findings from the Study
Interestingly, thirty of the 41 Wuhan corona virus patients were men. Of these, 8 had diabetes and 6 cardiovascular diseases. The average age of the group was 49 years. Moreover 27 of the 41 had been exposed to a Huanan seafood market. The onset of symptoms included fever (40), cough (31), and fatigue (18).
However, less common symptoms also included saliva and mucus, coughing blood, and diarrhea. Labored breathing developed later affecting 22 patients. Acute respiratory distress took its toll followed by anemia, acute cardiac injury, and secondary infections. 13 of the 42 patients admitted to ICU where 6 died.
The health professionals concluded the corona virus caused clusters of severe respiratory illness. These were similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. Moreover, the new virus associated with ICU admission and high mortality. There are major gaps in our understanding of the origin, incidence and distribution of the disease. Therefore, more work is needed. However, they did not say whether the delay in diagnosis made any difference to the outcome for the Wuhan corona virus patients.
Related
Community Response to Corona Virus Slated
Our Corona Virus Self Isolation Strategy
Preview Image: Checking Passengers Body Temperature
