Clinico-epidemiological Characteristics of COVID-19 in Patients from Eastern Sudan

Abstract

Background: Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as a profound global health threat. This study aimed to determine the epidemiological and clinical features of COVID-19 among Sudanese patients in the Kassala State, Eastern Sudan.

Methods: A retrospective observational study of 90 COVID-19 patients admitted to Kassala Teaching Hospital during Sept 2020 to Jan 2021. Demographic and clinical baseline characteristics of patients were collected using a structured questionnaire. Nasopharyngeal specimens and blood samples were obtained for confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of COVID-19 infection.

Results: The majority of the patients (75.6%) who were infected with COVID-19 were male. The two most common symptoms on admission were fever (84.4%) and sore throat (58.9%). The most common comorbidity was diabetes mellitus, with a prevalence of 44.4%, followed by chronic pulmonary disease, with a prevalence of 18.9%. Majority of the patients, particularly severe, had lymphocytopenia (95.6%), neutrophilia (88.9%) and leukocytosis (70.0%) (Table 4). High levels of CRP (64.4%) and ESR (63.3%) were observed in the most of study individuals, particularly those with severe conditions.

Conclusion: Diabetes and chronic lung disease with inflammation were associated with serious illness among the individuals studied. Other diseases and parameters should be carefully taken into account.