Clinical features of middle-aged patients died of 2019 Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia

Abstract Background Since December, 2019, the emerge of a Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have caused global concern, the majority viewpoints are that the deaths are related to advanced ages, however, the emergence of younger deaths needs immediate attention. Methods Clinical characteristics, laboratory results, chest CT scans and treatment measures were retrospectively reviewed for six deceased patients under 60 years old with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, from 6th January to 4th March, 2020. Results The age range of the patients was 50.17 ± 3.25 years (45–55 years), none of them had underlying diseases. All of patients presented with the symptoms of fever, respiratory system and digestive system. The level of albumin and lymphocyte counts decreased early in the stages of the disease, and then gradually increased. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) increased (higher than normal range) in early stage and gradually decreased when the disease progressed. All the six patients showed ground-glass opacity (GGO) and bilateral patchy shadowing in early stage under the computed tomography (CT). All the patients died of severe pneumonia and multiple organ failure. Conclusions The decreased level of serum albumin occurred in the early stages of the disease, and delays in the first admission to hospital probably aggravate the disease development. The increase of the NLR in early stage of disease may be a risk of death for COVID-19. These findings may provide useful information for optimizing supportive care for COVID-19 pneumonia.