tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
PLoS One
. 2021 Feb 3;16(2):e0246312.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246312. eCollection 2021.
Covid-19 in outpatients-Is fever a useful indicator for SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Anne Schneider[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Holger Kirsten[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Franziska Lordick[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Florian Lordick[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Christoph L?bbert[SUP] 1 2 7 [/SUP], Amrei von Braun[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Objective: Understanding mild to moderate symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is important in order to identify active cases early and thus counteract transmission.
Methods: In March 2020, Leipzig University Hospital established an outpatient clinic for patients potentially infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Confirmed cases with mild to moderate symptoms self-isolated at home and were followed-up by daily telephone calls for at least 14 days. Symptoms and course of illness of these patients are reported here.
Results: From March 20 to April 17, 2020, 1460 individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by naso- or oropharyngeal swab for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Covid-19 was confirmed in 91 (6.2%) patients, of which 87 were included in the final analysis. Patients presented for testing after a mean of 5.9 days (IQR = 2.0-8.5). The median age was 37.0 years (IQR = 28.5-53), and 48 (55.2%) were female. Five (5.7%) patients required hospital admission during the course of illness. Most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (n = 64, 74%), cough (n = 58, 67%), and hyposmia/hypogeusia (n = 44, 51%). In contrast to previous reports, fever occurred in less than a third of patients (n = 25, 29%). By day 14, more than half of the patients had recovered completely (n = 37/70, 52.9%).
Conclusions: Fever seems to be less common in patients of relatively young age diagnosed with mild to moderate Covid-19. This suggests that body temperature alone may be an insufficient indicator of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
. 2021 Feb 3;16(2):e0246312.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246312. eCollection 2021.
Covid-19 in outpatients-Is fever a useful indicator for SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Anne Schneider[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Holger Kirsten[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Franziska Lordick[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Florian Lordick[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Christoph L?bbert[SUP] 1 2 7 [/SUP], Amrei von Braun[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33534829
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246312
Abstract
Objective: Understanding mild to moderate symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is important in order to identify active cases early and thus counteract transmission.
Methods: In March 2020, Leipzig University Hospital established an outpatient clinic for patients potentially infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Confirmed cases with mild to moderate symptoms self-isolated at home and were followed-up by daily telephone calls for at least 14 days. Symptoms and course of illness of these patients are reported here.
Results: From March 20 to April 17, 2020, 1460 individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by naso- or oropharyngeal swab for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Covid-19 was confirmed in 91 (6.2%) patients, of which 87 were included in the final analysis. Patients presented for testing after a mean of 5.9 days (IQR = 2.0-8.5). The median age was 37.0 years (IQR = 28.5-53), and 48 (55.2%) were female. Five (5.7%) patients required hospital admission during the course of illness. Most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (n = 64, 74%), cough (n = 58, 67%), and hyposmia/hypogeusia (n = 44, 51%). In contrast to previous reports, fever occurred in less than a third of patients (n = 25, 29%). By day 14, more than half of the patients had recovered completely (n = 37/70, 52.9%).
Conclusions: Fever seems to be less common in patients of relatively young age diagnosed with mild to moderate Covid-19. This suggests that body temperature alone may be an insufficient indicator of SARS-CoV-2 infection.