Abstract: Objective To explore the characteristics of the disease spectrum of inpatients during the COVID-19 epidemic （first level response period） in Guangdong Province. Methods The home page data of the inpatient medical records during the COVID-19 epidemic （first level response period） in 2020 were collected, and the disease spectrum was analyzed according to ICD-10. The disease spectrum was compared with that of the same period in 2019. Results The number of inpatients during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 was 961 thousand and 26.3% lower than that of the same period in 2019, of which 43.9% were male and 56.1% were female. 83.9% of the cases were over 15 years old. The top 6 systemic diseases were pregnancy, delivery and puerperium, respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, factors influencing health status and contact with health services, digestive diseases and injury poisoning. Among the top 10 systemic diseases, pregnancy, delivery and puerperium rose from the second to the first, factors influencing health status and contact with health services rose from 5^th to 4^th, genitourinary diseases rose from 8^th to 7^th, neoplasms rose from 9^th to 8^th, certain conditions that originated in the perinatal period rose from 10^th to 9^th; Respiratory diseases dropped from the first to the second, digestive diseases dropped from 4^th to 5^th, musculoskeletal system and connective tissue diseases dropped from 7^th to 10^th. Diseases of the eye and adnexa dropped from 13^th to 19^th. In male cases, the order of 10 diseases changed, while in female cases, the order of 12 diseases changed. Conclusion During the COVID-19 epidemic, the demand for hospitalization decreased, and the spectrum of inpatients changed greatly. The main diseases of inpatients were the pregnancy, delivery and puerperium, respiratory diseases, circulatory diseases, factors influencing health status and contact with health services, digestive diseases and injury poisoning.

Key words: COVID-19, Inpatient, Disease spectrum