Risk factors and clinical features of deterioration in COVID-19 patients in Zhejiang, China: a single-centre, retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection swept through Wuhan and spread across China and overseas beginning in December 2019. To identify predictors associated with disease progression, we evaluated clinical risk factors for exacerbation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was used for PCR-confirmed COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019)-diagnosed hospitalized cases between January 19, 2020, and February 19, 2020, in Zhejiang, China. We systematically analysed the clinical characteristics of the patients and predictors of clinical deterioration. RESULTS: One hundred patients with COVID-19, with a median age of 54 years, were included. Among them, 49 patients (49%) had severe and critical disease. Age ([36–58] vs [51–70], P = 0.0001); sex (49% vs 77.6%, P = 0.0031); Body Mass Index (BMI) ([21.53–25.51] vs [23.28–27.01], P = 0.0339); hypertension (17.6% vs 57.1%, P < 0.0001); IL-6 ([6.42–30.46] vs [16.2–81.71], P = 0.0001); IL-10 ([2.16–5.82] vs [4.35–9.63], P < 0.0001); T lymphocyte count ([305–1178] vs [167.5–440], P = 0.0001); B lymphocyte count ([91–213] vs [54.5–163.5], P = 0.0001); white blood cell count ([3.9–7.6] vs [5.5–13.6], P = 0.0002); D2 dimer ([172–836] vs [408–953], P = 0.005), PCT ([0.03–0.07] vs [0.04–0.15], P = 0.0039); CRP ([3.8–27.9] vs [17.3–58.9], P < 0.0001); AST ([16, 29] vs [18, 42], P = 0.0484); artificial liver therapy (2% vs 16.3%, P = 0.0148); and glucocorticoid therapy (64.7% vs 98%, P < 0.0001) were associated with the severity of the disease. Age and weight were independent risk factors for disease severity. CONCLUSION: Deterioration among COVID-19-infected patients occurred rapidly after hospital admission. In our cohort, we found that multiple factors were associated with the severity of COVID19. Early detection and monitoring of these indicators may reduce the progression of the disease. Removing these factors may halt the progression of the disease. In addition, Oxygen support, early treatment with low doses of glucocorticoids and artificial liver therapy, when necessary, may help reduce mortality in critically ill patients. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-020-05682-4.