Patients and methods
The current study conducted at Al-Sader teaching hospital in Al-Najaf
governorate. All patients were presented with features consistent with
OCVID-19 pneumonia based on clinical symptoms and radiological findings.
Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 according to positive nasopharyngeal
swab by real time polymerase chain reaction.
Patients’, data were recorded using medical records
and collected by physicians at research site –level at hospital or
through clinical interview with the patient during outpatient clinic
visit. Complete blood indices included white blood cell count (WBC),
lymphocyte count and %, neutrophil count and %, red blood cell count
(RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell mean volume (MCV), red blood cell
width distribution (RDW), platelet count, platelet distribution width
(PDW), and platelet mean volume (PMV). The severity of lung damage by
COVID-19 pneumonia was assessed by computed tomography(CT) scan score.
According to pneumonia severity and radiological features of lung
injury, patients with mild pneumonia were treated at home and patients
with moderate-severe pneumonia were admitted to the hospital and
followed up until discharge or death. All patients, whether admitted to
hospital or treated at home, must have a second visit to outpatient
clinic after 14 day from resolution of fever related to COVID-19
pneumonia or discharge from the hospital to assess recovery status.Each
patient was asked to report the presence or absence post-recovery
persistent or new symptoms. The main outcomes for the study were defined
as complete recovery without persistent or new symptoms 14-day after
fever disappearance or discharge from the hospital and partial recovery
with persistent symptoms, including persistent shortness of breath
requiring frequent O2 supplement during the day, fatigue, and cough or
partial recovery with new symptoms. Verbal consent was obtained from all
patients enrolled in the study. Approval of this study was provided by
our medicine College Board.