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Lung CT Segmentation to Identify Consolidations and Ground Glass Areas for Quantitative Assesment of SARS-CoV Pneumonia
Published on: December 19, 2020
Clinical and CT characteristics of healthcare workers with COVID-19: A single-centered, retrospective study
Ying Xiong1, Qiang Zhang2, Dong Sun1
1Department of Radiology.
Insights
Healthcare workers (HWs) are susceptible to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), with occupational exposure being a significant factor. While HWs showed less severe initial chest CT findings, they exhibited similar disease progression and psychological distress compared to non-medical patients.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Radiology
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection due to occupational exposure.
- Understanding the clinical and chest computed tomography (CT) characteristics of COVID-19 in HCWs is crucial for disease management.
- This study compares COVID-19 presentation and progression in medical personnel (MP) versus non-medical personnel (non-MP).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical and chest CT characteristics of COVID-19 in healthcare workers.
- To compare these characteristics between infected healthcare workers and non-medical patients.
- To assess disease progression using follow-up CT scans and evaluate psychological impact.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of clinical, laboratory, and CT data from 43 infected medical staff (MP group) and 43 non-medical patients (non-MP group).
- Comparison of initial symptoms, laboratory markers (CRP, ESR, LDH), and CT findings (ground-glass opacities, consolidation, interstitial thickening).
- Assessment of CT severity scores, correlation with clinical parameters, and evaluation of anxiety and depression levels.
Main Results:
- Initial symptoms were similar between groups; however, non-MP group showed higher CRP, ESR, and LDH levels.
- Chest CT revealed less severe opacities in the MP group compared to the non-MP group (5.3 vs 9.1 scores).
- Disease progression on CT was similar, with peak opacities observed around 13-14 days post-onset in both groups. Mild to moderate anxiety and depression were noted in both cohorts.
Conclusions:
- Despite increased awareness, healthcare workers are vulnerable to COVID-19, with occupational exposure being a key transmission route.
- Healthcare workers may present with less severe initial CT findings but experience similar disease progression and psychological effects.
- Early vigilance for infection is higher among healthcare workers, but this does not preclude susceptibility.
Abstract:
A large number of healthcare workers have been infected with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to investigate their clinical and chest computed tomography (CT) characteristics.The clinical, laboratory test and CT features of 43 medical and hospital staff with confirmed COVID-19 (MP group, 26-70 years old) were retrospectively analyzed, and compared to 43 non-medical related patients (non-MP group, 26-71 years old). Follow-up CT characteristics were analyzed to assess the disease progression in the period of hospitalization.At admission, the main complaints of the MP group, including fever (81.4%), fatigue (48.8%) and cough (41.9%), were similar to the non-MP group. The C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and lactate dehydrogenase levels were higher in the non-MP group than the MP group (17.5 ± 22.4 mg/L, 20.2 ± 23.4 mm/H and 219 ± 66U/L, respectively, P < .05). Ground-grass opacities, consolidation, interstitial thickening were common CT features of both groups. The severity of opacities on initial CT were less in the MP group (5.3 ± 3.9 scores) than in the non-MP group (9.1 ± 4.8 scores, P < .05). Before regular treatments, the sum score of the opacities showed weak to moderate correlations with duration, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and lactate dehydrogenase levels (R ranged from 0.341-0.651, P < .05). In the study time window, the duration from illness onset to when the most obvious pulmonary opacities were observed, according to CT findings, were similar in the MP group (13.3 ± 6.6 days) and the non-MP group (13.8 ± 5.1 days, P = .69). Mild to moderate anxiety and depression were observed in both groups.Despite greater knowledge of how to protect themselves than the general population, healthcare workers are also susceptible to COVID-19 infection. Occupational exposure is a very important factor. Healthcare workers have a higher vigilance about the infection in the early stage of the disease.
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