Clinical Features and Time to Recovery of Admitted COVID-19 Cases at Dilla University Referral Hospital Treatment Center, South Ethiopia

Abstract

Background

Since coronavirus disease 2019 emergence, millions were infected and many were dying because of the virus. Clinical features and time to recovery of admitted clients vary across settings. Therefore showing clinical features and recovery time from COVID-19 in a different setting is necessary to design appropriate treatment and preventive measures. So, this study attempted to investigate the clinical features and time to recovery of admitted clients to Dilla University Referral Hospital treatment center, Ethiopia.

Methods

A retrospective study design was conducted in 220 patients confirmed by real time polymerase chain reaction and admitted to Dilla University Referral Hospital treatment center from September 2020 to July 2021. Data were collected from the patients’ record. Data entry was done by an Epi-Info version 7.2.1.0 and analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25 software. Descriptive statistics were used for clinical features, and median time to recovery was computed by using Kaplan–Meier.

Results

Common clinical features were cough 209 (95%), shortness of breath 153 (69.5%), fever 133 (60.5%), headache 75 (34.1%), easy fatigue 68 (30.9%), joint pain 56 (25.5%), tachypnea 197 (89.5%), hypoxia 95 (43.2%), and tachycardia 83 (37.7%). The overall median recovery time for admitted cases was 5 days. There was significant difference between recovery probability of severe and moderate cases, severe and mild cases (p=0.00), who had normal body temperature and hypothermic (p=0.05), who had normal breathing rate and bradypnea patients (p= 0.014).

Conclusion

COVID-19 patients frequently show cough, shortness of breath, fever, headache, easy fatigue and joint pain. Median time to recovery was 5 days. Having a normal body temperature, normal breathing rate, and severe disease status had statistically significant association with median recovery time. So, close follow up is required for client admitted with severe disease.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• clinical features
• time to recover

Abbreviations

AHR, adjusted hazard ratio; ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndrome; CHR, crude hazard ratio; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; DM, diabetes mellitus; HIV, human immuno-virus; IRB, Institutional Review Board; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; MI, myocardial infarction; RBM, RNA binding motive; RT-PCR, real time polymerase chain reaction; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; SNNPR, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region; SPSS, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences; UK, United Kingdom.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

Ethical approval and waiver consent was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Dilla University College of Medicine and Health sciences under the protocol unique number of duirb/002/21-10, and the permission from treatment center record room for data collection.

Data Sharing Statement

The datasets used during this study are available from the corresponding author when required.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Dilla University Referral Hospital COVID-19 treatment center and Patients’ record room staffs for their cooperation. Our great thanks also extend to Dilla University College of Health Science and Medicine for supporting us to conduct this research.

Author Contributions

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execusion, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agreed to be accountale for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest for this work.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was received..