Home isolation, monitoring and follow-up as a management approach for mild to moderate COVID-19: a prospective observational study

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2 manifests as mild to moderate disease in about 80 per cent of the patients. Present study intends to know the clinical outcomes of treating this cohort, in home-isolation milieu.Methods: The 171 of 210 suspected COVID-19 patients conforming to inclusion criteria were enrolled and evaluated. Patients were categorized for severity assessment for the purpose of treatment plan, monitoring and follow-up. Data pertaining to clinical profiles, age grouping along with CT chest severity scoring, laboratory data and treatment allocations and outcomes were statistically analyzed.Results: Among 171 patients, mean age was 48.5 (±11.9) years and males were 108 (63%). The 93 (54%) and 69 (40%) patients had moderate and mild clinical severity, respectively. The 107 (63%) had mild CT severity score and 83 (48.5%) had one or more comorbidities. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and D-dimer levels were significantly higher in clinically moderate and above 45 years age groups (p<0.05). Overall outcome showed one in mild and 12 in moderate group needed hospitalization and all recovered completely.Conclusions: Home-isolation, treatment and monitoring of study cohort with mild to moderate COVID-19, helped in timely interventions and uneventful recovery of majority of the patients.