• Yafei Wang, Ying Zhou, Zhen Yang, Dongping Xia, Yi Hu, and Shuang Geng.
• Department of Respiration, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei, China.
• Respiration. 2020 Jan 1; 99 (8): 649-657.

BackgroundA new virus broke out in Wuhan, Hubei, China, that was later named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The clinical characteristics of severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 are still not clear.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors of severe pneumonia caused by the SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China.MethodsThe study included patients hospitalized at the Central Hospital of Wuhan who were diagnosed with COVID-19. Clinical features, chronic comorbidities, demographic data, laboratory examinations, and chest computed tomography (CT) scans were reviewed through electronic medical records. SPSS was used for data analysis to explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors of patients with severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2.ResultsA total of 110 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in the study, including 38 with severe pneumonia and 72 with nonsevere pneumonia. Statistical analysis showed that advanced age, increased D-Dimer, and decreased lymphocytes were characteristics of the patients with severe pneumonia. Moreover, in the early stage of the disease, chest CT scans of patients with severe pneumonia showed that the illness can progress rapidly.ConclusionsAdvanced age, decreased lymphocytes, and D-Dimer elevation are important characteristics of patients with severe COVID-19. Clinicians should focus on these characteristics to identify high-risk patients at an early stage.© 2020 S. Karger AG, Basel.

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