Clinical presentations, laboratory and radiological findings, and treatments for 11,028 COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the comorbidities, symptoms, clinical characteristics and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Method: Epidemiological studies published in 2020 (from January-March) on the clinical presentation, laboratory findings and treatments of COVID-19 patients were identified from PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase databases. Studies published in English by 27 th March, 2020 with original data were included. A random-effects model was used to aggregate estimates across eligible studies and produce meta-analytic estimates. Primary outcomes included comorbidities of COVID-19 patients, their symptoms presented on hospital admission, laboratory results and radiological outcomes, and pharmacological and in-patient treatments. Results: : 77 studies were included in this meta-analysis, accounting for a total of 11,028 COVID- 19 patients in multiple countries. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (18.1%, 95%CI: 15.4-20.8%). The most frequently identified symptoms were fever (72.4%, 95%CI: 67.2-77.7%) and cough (55.5%, 95%CI: 50.7-60.3%). For pharmacological treatment, 63.9% (95%CI: 52.5-75.3%), 62.4% (95%CI: 47.9-76.8%) and 29.7% (95%CI: 21.8-37.6%) of patients were given antibiotics, antiviral, and corticosteroid, respectively. Notably, 62.6% (95%CI: 39.9- 85.4%) and 20.2% (95%CI: 14.6-25.9%) of in-patients received oxygen therapy and non- invasive mechanical ventilation, respectively. Conclusions: : This meta-analysis informed healthcare providers about the timely status of characteristics and treatments of COVID-19 patients across different countries. PROSPERO Registration Number CRD42020176589