Epidemiological, Clinical and Imaging Features of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Diseases (COVID-19) in Southwestern Iran: A Descriptive Study

Background: Pulmonary Manifestations and damage are one of the most serious problems in COVID-19 patients. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and imaging characteristics of patients infected with this virus in the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: By census approach, data were collected from two coronavirus referral hospitals in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan province (southwestern Iran), from June to August 2020. Using a researcher-made checklist, study data were collected: including epidemiological information, signs and symptoms, abnormal chest X-ray and CT-scan findings, underlying conditions and comorbidity, and patient treatment outcome. Results: This study included 375 approved COVID-19 patients with a mean age of 55.5 ± 18.6 years (50.9% male and 49.1% female). The most common underlying diseases included diabetes (23.2%) and cardiovascular diseases (21.9%). Cough (62.4 percent), shortness of breath (57.1 percent), and fever (48.8 percent) were the most frequent symptoms at the start of the disease. In radiographic evaluations, the most prevalent pulmonary involvement manifestations were ground-glass opacity (67.5 percent) and consolidation (81.1 percent) (47.5 percent). The majority of patients (86.9%) had both lungs compromised, with the lower lobes having the highest involvement (61.1 percent). In addition, 45.6 percent of individuals had subpleural involvement. Posterobasal engagement was the most common type of involvement (35.5 percent). Conclusions: In general, the most common clinical and radiological symptoms of this study included cough, shortness of breath, fever, ground-glass opacity, Consolidation and crazy-paving changes, which are consistent with the results of patients with SARS-COV-2 in other parts of the world.