Factors related to viral clearance time in patients with critical COVID‑19

Objective: To evaluate the related factors to virus clearance time in patients with critical COVID‑19. Methods: A total of 63 patients with critical COVID‑19 who had viral clearance were enrolled from Feb 1 to Mar 20, 2020, in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. Univariate analyses were used to compare the related factors between groups with different viral clearance time (≤30 days viral clearance group versus >30 days viral clearance group). COX regression analysis was also used to evaluate the factors related to virus clearance time. Results: A total of 63 critical patients with COVID‑19 who had viral clearance were collected, including 35 male and 28 female. The mean age was (63.65±14.06) years, range from 29 to 89 years. The median viral clearance time was 27 days ( IQR, 21~36 days). In univariate analysis, the following factors had significant differences between ≤30 days viral clearance group and >30 days viral clearance group (all P 70 years old, COPD, WBC>9.5×109/L, LYM 50 mg/L, D‑dimer>5 mg/L, CK>200 U/L, LDH>300 U/L, CD4+ T‑cell 70 years old ( HR : 0.207, 95% CI : 0.090‑0.479), LYM 5 mg/L ( HR : 0.243, 95% CI : 0.105‑0.563), and ALT>50 U/L ( HR : 0.483, 95% CI : 0.239‑0.973) were inconducive to the elimination of the virus. Conclusion: Critical COVID‑19 patients have longer hospital stays and significantly different virus clearance time. There are many factors that affect viral clearance time. As adverse factors, age>70 years old, LYM 5 mg/L and ALT>50 U/L may prolong the viral clearance time. Early detection of related factors and timely treatment are beneficial to shorten the time of viral clearance and improve the prognosis of the disease. © 2021, Editorial Board of Medical Journal of Wuhan University. All right reserved.