ObjectiveTo summarize the results of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG antibody, total antibody and cellular immune function of COVID-19 convalescent patients one year after discharge, and to analyze the correlation between the SARS-CoV-2 antibody and the indexes of immune function. MethodsA total of 41 confirmed COVID-19 patients discharged from Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center from January to April 2020 and followed up one year after discharge were included in the study as the research group, including 18 males and 23 females with an average age of 47.83±12.95 years. The results of SARS-CoV-2 IgG, total antibody and immune function indexes one year after discharge were collected in order to discuss the correlation of SARS-CoV-2 and cellular immune function. A total of 40 healthy employees of the hospital vaccinated against COVID-19 were randomly selected as the vaccine group, including 10 males and 30 females with an average age of 43.90±6.86 years. The SARS-CoV-2 antibodies between the two groups were compared. ResultsCD8+T cell count was higher and CD4+T/CD8+T was lower in male patients than those in female patients (all P<0.05). The IgG and total antibodies in patients with re-detectable positive RNA test were both higher than those in patients without re-detectable positive RNA test, but the differences were not statistically significant (P=0.158, 0.060). The positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 IgG in the research group was 80.5% (33/41). SARS-CoV-2 IgG was positively correlated with total antibody (P<0.001). There was a positive correlation between CD4+T cell count and SARS-CoV-2 IgG (r=0.455, P=0.003). The positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 IgG, SARS-CoV-2 IgG amount and total antibody amount in the research group were significantly higher than those in the vaccine group (all P<0.001). ConclusionSARS-CoV-2 IgG of most COVID-19 patients one year after discharge is positive, and their SARS-CoV-2 total antibody is significantly higher than people vaccinated against COVID-19, which suggests that patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 can obtain lasting protection, but the protection may be gradually weaken over time. The degree of antibody attenuation in patients with re-detectable positive RNA test may be weaker. In the convalescence stage, the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 IgG may be closely related to cellular immune function.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical features and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.MethodsA total of 379 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu from January 16 to November 30, 2020 were divided into two groups including an elderly group (42 patients, ≥60 years) and a non-elderly group (337 patients, <60 years) by age. The epidemiology, clinical features, laboratory tests, treatment and prognosis of the two groups were compared.ResultsAmong the 379 patients, 286 (75.5%) were males and 93 (24.5%) were females, aged from 2 months to 87 years, with an average age of 41.2 years. The average age of the elderly group was 69.5 years, and 61.9% of them were females. They were imported from Wuhan or local secondary patients (73.8%), mainly common or critical type (88.1%). While, the average age of the non-elderly group was 37.8 years, and males were more common (80.1%). There were mostly from foreign input (75.7%), mainly mild or ordinary type (95.0%). A total of 179 patients (47.2%) had one or more underlying diseases. Hypertension (15 patients, 35.7%) and diabetes (11 patients, 26.2%) were more common in the elderly group, while non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (132 patients, 39.2%) was more frequent in the non-elderly group. The most common clinical manifestations were fever (138 patients, 36.4%) and cough (129 patients, 34.0%). Fever, cough, dyspnea, and fatigue were more common in the elderly group than those in the non-elderly group (P<0.05). Compared with the non-elderly group, the elderly group had lower total lymphocyte count, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell count, higher level of myocardial injury or inflammation markers (P<0.05). Abnormal echocardiography in 139 patients (36.7%) was mainly caused by decreased left ventricular diastolic function (22.7%) and heart valve regurgitation (14.0%), and the rate in the elderly group was significantly higher than that in the non-elderly group (85.7% vs. 30.6%, P<0.05). After treatment, 3 patients in the elderly group died, and the others were cured and discharged. The hospitalization duration of the elderly group was longer than that of the non-elderly group (22.1 d vs. 18.8 d, P=0.033).ConclusionsElderly COVID-19 patients are mainly imported from Wuhan or secondary to the local population, mainly common or critical type, often associated with basic diseases such as hypertension or diabetes. While, non-elderly COVID-19 patients are mainly imported from abroad, mainly mild or common type, often associated with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. After treatment, most of the patients have a good prognosis.
Objective To investigate the long-term dynamic changes of liver function and glucose-lipid metabolism in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) after antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methods HIV-infected patients who visited Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu between October 1st, 2012 and June 30th, 2013 were recruited and divided into two groups according to whether they had MAFLD or not. All of them were treated with the first-line regimen of tenofovir + lamivudine + efavirenz for 156 weeks, and the anthropometric indices, liver function, and levels of glucose, lipids and uric acid were measured at baseline and at each follow-up time point. In addition, the long-term dynamic characteristics of liver function and glucose and lipid metabolism parameters of the two groups were compared during the 156 weeks of ART treatment. Results A total of 61 male HIV-infected patients were enrolled. The prevalence of MAFLD in them was 31.1% (19/61) at baseline and increased by 4.9 percentage points per year after ART. Before the start of follow-up (week 0), the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) [(46.23±27.09) vs. (28.00±17.43) U/L, P=0.002] and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) [(41.46±9.89) vs. (24.02±10.72) U/L, P<0.001] were higher in the MAFLD group than those in the non-MAFLD group, while the between-group differences in the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) [(33.33±15.61) vs. (28.98±12.43) U/L, P=0.248] and alkaline phosphatase [(85.30±21.27) vs. (83.41±24.47) U/L, P=0.773] were not statistically significant. During the 156-week follow-up period, the 4 items of liver function gradually increased in the MAFLD group, especially from week 120 onwards, 3 of which (ALT, AST and GGT) were significantly higher than those in the non-MAFLD group (P<0.05). In addition, the levels of fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein were also significantly higher in the MAFLD group than those in the non-MAFLD group at some time points during the 156-week follow-up period (P<0.05). Conclusions Compared with HIV-infected patients without MAFLD, HIV-infected patients with MAFLD are more likely to develop impaired liver function and disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism during long-term tenofovir + lamivudine + efavirenz regimen ART treatment. Therefore, close clinical monitoring of liver function and glucose and lipid metabolism related parameters is required for such patients.