Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients admitted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.

Patrick Adjei,Adwoa Agyei-Nkansah,Josephine Akpalu,Albert Akpalu,Peter Puplampu,Maame-Boatemaa Amissah-Arthur,Elom Otchi,Klenam Dzefi-Tettey,Kissinger Marfoh,Joseph Akamah,Kenneth Tachi,Vincent Boima,Phillip Amoo,Jane Afriyie-Mensah,Bismark Opoku-Asare,Dzifa Dey,Vincent J Ganu

doi:10.4314/gmj.v54i4s.6

Patrick Adjei, Adwoa Agyei-Nkansah + Show 15 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4314/gmj.v54i4s.6

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Abstract

Study design was a retrospective single-center review of hospital data. The study was conducted at the COVID-19 Treatment Center of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics of the Korle-Bu Teaching hospital in Accra, Ghana. A total of fifty patients with laboratory (rRT-PCR) confirmed COVID-19 infection were involved in the study. A chart review of the medical records of the patients was conducted and the data obtained was documented using a data extraction form. The median age was 53 years and most (36% (18/50)) of the patients were at least 60 years of age. Eighty percent (40/50) of the patients were symptomatic, with cough and difficulty in breathing being the commonest presenting symptoms. The mean duration of hospitalization was 12.3 ± 7.3 days. Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus were the commonest co-morbidities occurring in 52% (26/50) and 42% (21/50) of patients respectively. Fifty percent of patients developed COVID-19 pneumonia as a complication. The mortality rate was 12% (6/50). In this study, SARS-CoV2 infection affected older adults with hypertension and diabetes mellitus being the common comorbidities. Patients with these comorbid conditions should be counselled by their clinicians to strictly observe the COVID-19 prevention protocols to reduce their risk of acquiring the infection. There is a need to pay critical and prompt attention to the management of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia particularly among people with diabetes to improve outcomes. None declared.

Highlights

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a communicable respiratory disease caused by a novel strain of coronavirus suspected to be of zoonotic origin that causes illness in human beings.[1,2] The novel coronavirus infection was first reported by China on 29th December 2019 and rapidly evolved into a pandemic affecting many countries
Any patient with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection presenting with no clinical symptoms and signs from date of admission to discharge from hospital was classified as an asymptomatic patient
Complications were described as Covid Pneumonia on Chest CT scan, Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Pleural Effusion whilst clinical outcomes were categorized into discharge from hospital and death from SARSCOV2 or its complications

Summary

Introduction

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a communicable respiratory disease caused by a novel strain of coronavirus suspected to be of zoonotic origin that causes illness in human beings.[1,2] The novel coronavirus infection was first reported by China on 29th December 2019 and rapidly evolved into a pandemic affecting many countries. The disease is spread from person to person through infected droplets from sneezing, coughing or talking. Transmission can be through physical contact of hands with infected surfaces and touching of face with contaminated hands. Transmission from asymptomatic contacts has been reported.[3,4]. The novel coronavirus pandemic moved swiftly from China and Asia to Europe and the Americas before Africa started experiencing its initial cases

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