According to foreign media reports, scientists may now be working hard to find a cure for the COVID-19 virus and vaccines, but the cruel reality is that this COVID-19 virus will continue to take people’s lives in the coming weeks or even months. Some countries have successfully flattened the curve and controlled the number of deaths by adopting a combination of social alienation measures and active detection.
In contrast, others were overwhelmed by the increasing number of patients with COVID-19 virus in the past few weeks. Statistics as of Tuesday morning show that nearly 76,000 people have died in over 1.35 million diagnosed patients worldwide.
Some medical experts are trying to improve treatment by observing fatal coronavirus infections. A recent study using artificial intelligence found that there are three signs that COVID-19 patients are more likely to have respiratory complications, and these complications require ventilation. Now, a new study from China and the United States analyzes a group of deadly COVID-19 patients, hoping to find common ground between these cases.
This new study was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of the American Thoracic Society. Researchers from the United States and China reviewed the electronic health records of 85 dead patients in two hospitals in Wuhan. They checked their medical history, exposure to COVID-19 virus and other chronic diseases. They also analyzed COVID-19 symptoms, laboratory results, CT readings, and the clinical evolution of these patients.
The researchers concluded that the largest number of deaths were men over 50 years old with other chronic diseases. Hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease are the most common underlying diseases. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 final death include fever, shortness of breath, and fatigue. Complications include respiratory failure, shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and arrhythmia.
Abnormal blood tests include eosinophilia. In severe respiratory tract infections, eosinophil count decreases. Early attacks of shortness of breath are also common symptoms in these cases. Doctors in Wuhan treat these patients with a combination of antibiotics, antiviral drugs and glucocorticoids. Some patients also require intravenous immunoglobulin or IV.
The medical records of 85 patients show that respiratory symptoms may only appear one week after infection. But once this happens, the condition will deteriorate rapidly. According to research, the short time from admission to death is 6.35 days on average.
The researchers also pointed out that the features they discovered may not be applicable in all regions. Factors such as genetic and viral mutations may change the course of fatal cases in other regions.