Table 1.
Characteristics and Symptoms of Patients with Laboratory-Confirmed Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection, April–May 2013.
| Characteristic | Patients with Confirmed Cases (N = 23) |
|---|---|
| Male sex — no. (%) | 17 (74) |
| Age — yr | |
| Median | 56 |
| Range | 24–94 |
| Age ≥50 yr — no. (%) | 17 (74) |
| Age ≥65 yr — no. (%) | 6 (26) |
| Obesity — no./total no. (%)* | 5/21 (24) |
| Underlying Illness — no. (%) | |
| End-stage renal disease | 12 (52) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 17 (74) |
| Cardiac disease | 9 (39) |
| Lung disease, including asthma | 10 (43) |
| Immunosuppressive condition other than renal disease | 0 |
| Symptoms before presentation — no. (%) | |
| Fever | 20 (87) |
| Cough | 20 (87) |
| Shortness of breath | 11 (48) |
| Gastrointestinal symptoms | |
| Any | 8 (35) |
| Vomiting | 4 (17) |
| Diarrhea | 5 (22) |
| Laboratory testing at presentation — no/total no. (%) | |
| Abnormal white-cell count† | 5/23 (22) |
| Abnormal platelet count‡ | 5/23 (22) |
| Elevated aspartate aminotransferase | 3/13 (23) |
| Oxygen saturation <95% while breathing ambient air | 7/23 (30) |
| Chest radiographic findings at presentation — no. (%) | |
| Normal | 3 (13) |
| Increased bronchovascular markings | 4 (17) |
| Unilateral infiltrate | 10 (43) |
| Bilateral infiltrates | 5 (22) |
| Diffuse reticulonodular pattern | 1 (4) |
| Clinical course — no. (%) | |
| Admitted to hospital | 22 (96) |
| Admitted to intensive care unit | 18 (78) |
| Received mechanical ventilation | 18 (78) |
| Outcome as of June 12, 2013 — no. (%) | |
| Recovered | 6 (26) |
| Remained in hospital§ | 2 (9) |
| Died | 15 (65) |
*
Obesity was defined as a body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) of 30 or more.
†
Two patients had an abnormally low white-cell count (2.2×109 per liter and 3.1×109 per liter), and three had abnormally high counts (12.1×109, 17.9×109, and 22×109 per liter).
‡
Four patients had abnormally low platelet counts (ranging from 110×109 to 122×109 per liter) and one had an abnormally high count (468×109 per liter)
§
Both of these patients remain in the intensive care unit and continue to receive mechanical ventilation.