Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of mild to moderate
COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia: A single centre study
Abstract
Background Since the severity of symptoms affects the treatment option
for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the treatment pattern
for mild to moderate non-ICU cases must be evaluated, particularly in
the current scenario of mutation and variant strain for effective
decision making. Objectives This retrospective study’s objectives were
to assess clinical and treatment outcomes in mild to moderate non-ICU
COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Methods Non-ICU patients with
COVID-19 with mild to moderate symptoms who were admitted to major
tertiary care hospitals in Al Baha, Saudi Arabia, between April and
August 2019 were studied retrospectively for clinical outcomes. Results
A total of 811 people were admitted for COVID-19 treatment, with age
ranging from 14 to 66, diabetes mellitus (31 %, n = 248) and
hypertension (24%, n = 198) were the most common comorbid conditions.
The majority of the patients (77 %, n = 621) had reported symptoms for
COVID -19 infection. The hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) treated group (G1 n =
466) had an MD of 8 and an IQR of 5-13 for time in hospital with a 4.3
% mortality rate, while the non-HCQ group (G2 n = 345) had an MD of 6
and an IQR of 3-11 for time in hospital with a 3.2 % mortality rate.
The mortality rate among non-HCQ treated patients varied, but a
combination of antiviral and antibiotic treatment was found to be
effective, other most frequent intervention was analgesics 85.7 %,
anticoagulant 75 %, minerals (Zinc 83 % and Vit D3 82 %). Conclusions
The COVID 19 therapy and clinical outcomes from the past will be the
guiding factor to treat the mutant strain infection in the future.
Patients treated HCQ had a higher mortality rate, whereas those who were
given a non-HCQ combination had a greater clinical outcome profile.