A comprehensive presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: In December 2019, the first case of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 was reported in the Chinese province Wuhan, China. Due to a rapid spread of the infection, more than 17 million cases worldwide have been registered so far. Methods: A systematic literature survey was performed using PubMed, Google Scholar and Web of Science until 19 March 2020. Infections had to be confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. Eligible studies had to report data per-taining to comorbidities, clinical symptoms, laboratory alterations or treatment options. Studies with missing data, opinion articles and letters were excluded. For the meta-analysis, a binary random effect model was used to calculate prevalences and the 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: In total, 958 articles were identified, 80 studies involving 5,053 patients were included. Cardiovascular (20.5%, 95% CI 16.5% to 24.5%) and endocrine diseases (9.6%, 95% CI 7.7% to 11.6%) were the most prevalent comorbidities. Patients presented with fever (77.0%, 95% CI 73.3% to 80.7%) and malaise (31.1%, 95% CI 25.0 to 37.3). Lymphocytes were decreased in 42.2% (95% CI 35.2% to 49.3%). Radiological lung changes were predominantly bilateral (74.0%, 95% CI 66.3% to 81.6%). Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides a comprehensive presentation of all aspects of infection. Early detection of symptoms and patients at risk is crucial for beneficial treatment.