Department of Pharmacology, Riphah International University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Front Public Health. 2021 Apr 14;9:644199. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.644199. eCollection 2021.
The emergence of a pathogen responsible for a mysterious respiratory disease was identified in China and later called a novel coronavirus. This disease was named COVID-19. The present study seeks to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in Pakistan. This report will exhibit a linkage between epidemiology and clinical aspects which in turn can be helpful to prevent the transmission of the virus in Pakistan. A retrospective, multiple center study was performed by collecting the data from patients' with their demographics, epidemiological status, history of co-morbid conditions, and clinical manifestations of the disease. The data was collected from 31 public-sector and 2 private hospitals across Pakistan by on-field healthcare workers. A Chi-square test was applied to assess the relationship between categorical data entries. A total of 194 medical records were examined. The median age of these patients was found to be 34 years. A total of 53.6% active cases were present including 41.2% males and 12.4% females till the end of the study. Adults accounted for most of the cases (94.3%) of COVID-19. Fever (86.60%), cough (85.05%), fatigue (36.60%), dyspnea (24.74%), and gastrointestinal discomfort (10.31%) were among the most frequently reported signs and symptoms by the patients. However, 4.12% of the total patient population remained asymptomatic. The median duration of hospital stay was found to be 14 (0-19) days. The earliest source of the spread of the virus may be linked to the foreigners traveling to Pakistan. Spread among men was more as compared to women. A few cases were found to be positive, due to the direct contact with pets or livestock. Hypertension (7.73%), diabetes (4.64%), cardiovascular conditions (2.58%) were the most common co-morbidities. The percentage mortality was 2.50% with the highest mortality among elders.
中国发现了一种导致神秘呼吸道疾病的病原体，后来将其命名为新型冠状病毒。这种疾病被称为 COVID-19。本研究旨在确定 COVID-19 在巴基斯坦的流行病学和临床特征。本报告将展示流行病学和临床方面的联系，这反过来又有助于防止病毒在巴基斯坦的传播。通过收集患者的人口统计学、流行病学状况、合并症病史和疾病临床表现数据，进行了回顾性、多中心研究。数据由巴基斯坦 31 家公立和 2 家私立医院的现场医护人员收集。应用卡方检验评估分类数据项之间的关系。共检查了 194 份病历。这些患者的中位年龄为 34 岁。在研究结束时，共有 53.6%的活跃病例，其中 41.2%为男性，12.4%为女性。成年人占 COVID-19 病例的绝大多数（94.3%）。患者最常报告的体征和症状包括发热（86.60%）、咳嗽（85.05%）、乏力（36.60%）、呼吸困难（24.74%）和胃肠道不适（10.31%）。然而，总患者人群中有 4.12%的人无症状。住院中位数为 14（0-19）天。病毒最早的传播源可能与前往巴基斯坦的外国人有关。男性中的传播比女性更为广泛。少数病例因与宠物或牲畜直接接触而呈阳性。最常见的合并症有高血压（7.73%）、糖尿病（4.64%）、心血管疾病（2.58%）。死亡率为 2.50%，老年人死亡率最高。
