Clinical Characteristics of Novel Coronavirus Infection in Different Age Groups

Objective: To investigate the differences in clinical features of patients with novel coronavirus infection at different ages. Methods: A total of 382 patients with novel coronavirus, hospitalized in a designated hospital for treatment of novel coronavirus in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from October 1 to October 31, 2022 were included. The groups were as follows: children group 0~18 years old; youth group 19~44 years old; middle-aged group 45~59 years old; and elderly group ≥60 years old. The demographic and clinical characteristics of cases in different age groups were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Patients were stratified by 10 years of age, and conformed to a normal distribution. The age at onset was orimarily within the young people categrry, the severity of disease was mild in all age groups, and the risk of severe disease was higher in the elderly group (P<0.01). There were significant differences in clinical manifestations of fever and cough among different age groups (P<0.01). There were significant differences in lymphocyte ratio (LYM%), neutrophil ratio (NEU%), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and albumin (ALB) levels in laboratory examination (P<0.05). Discussion: People infected with novel coronavirus are generally susceptible, and the risk of severe illness is positively correlated with age. The decline of lymphocytes and albumin in laboratory tests was negatively correlated with age. The increase of neutrophils and interleukin- 6 was positively correlated with age.