Scientific Reports (Jun 2021)

Symptom-based early-stage differentiation between SARS-CoV-2 versus other respiratory tract infections—Upper Silesia pilot study

  • Justyna Mika,
  • Joanna Tobiasz,
  • Joanna Zyla,
  • Anna Papiez,
  • Małgorzata Bach,
  • Aleksandra Werner,
  • Michał Kozielski,
  • Mateusz Kania,
  • Aleksandra Gruca,
  • Damian Piotrowski,
  • Barbara Sobala-Szczygieł,
  • Bożena Włostowska,
  • Paweł Foszner,
  • Marek Sikora,
  • Joanna Polanska,
  • Jerzy Jaroszewicz

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93046-6
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Abstract In the DECODE project, data were collected from 3,114 surveys filled by symptomatic patients RT-qPCR tested for SARS-CoV-2 in a single university centre in March-September 2020. The population demonstrated balanced sex and age with 759 SARS-CoV-2( +) patients. The most discriminative symptoms in SARS-CoV-2( +) patients at early infection stage were loss of taste/smell (OR = 3.33, p 38℃ with cough was most frequent in men (20%), while loss of taste/smell with cough in women (17%). For younger people, taste/smell impairment is sufficient to characterise infection, whereas in older patients co-occurrence of fever and cough is necessary. The presented study objectifies the single symptoms and interactions significance in COVID-19 diagnoses and demonstrates diverse symptomatology in patient groups.