First patient management of COVID-19 in Changsha, China: a case report

BMC Infect Dis. 2020 Nov 11;20(1):824. doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-05545-y.

Abstract

Background: In December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. It rapidly spread and many cases were identified in multiple countries, posing a global health problem. Here, we report the first patient cured of COVID-19 infection in Changsha, China, and the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and management of this patient are all described in this report.

Case presentation: A 57-year-old woman developed cough and fever after returning to Changsha from Wuhan on January 9, 2020. She tested positive for COVID-19 infection, a diagnosis which was supported by chest CT. The patient was treated with lopinavir and ritonavir tablets and interferon alfa-2b injection. A low dose of glucocorticoids was used for a short period to control bilateral lung immune response, and this patient avoided being crushed by cytokine storms that might have occurred. The clinical condition of this patient improved, and a COVID-19 assay conducted on January 25, 2020 generated negative results. This patient recovered and was discharged on January 30, 2020.

Conclusions: Currently, there are numerous reports on COVID-19 infections focusing on the disease's epidemiological and clinical characteristics. This case describes the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and management of a patient cured of COVID-19 infection, which may serve as reference for future cases, while further studies are needed.

Keywords: COVID-19; Case report; China; Cured patient.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Betacoronavirus / genetics*
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment
  • China
  • Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis
  • Coronavirus Infections / drug therapy*
  • Coronavirus Infections / physiopathology
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Cough
  • Female
  • Fever
  • Glucocorticoids / therapeutic use*
  • HIV Protease Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Interferon alpha-2 / therapeutic use*
  • Lopinavir / therapeutic use*
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Middle Aged
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis
  • Pneumonia, Viral / drug therapy*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / physiopathology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / virology
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Ritonavir / therapeutic use*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Glucocorticoids
  • HIV Protease Inhibitors
  • Interferon alpha-2
  • Lopinavir
  • Ritonavir