Focusing on fever as the main Covid symptom may miss some cases: AIIMS study

According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research by the Indian Institute of Medical Research (ICMR), fever is a symptom of Covid-19 and only present in 17% of patients out of 144 observed in all Indian Institutes of Medicine. Science (AIIMS) The Trauma Center in Delhi and AIIMS in Jajar, Haryana.

“Fever was seen in only 17% of patients. This is far more than any other report in the world, including a Chinese cohort that had 44% fever at presentation and 88% during hospitalization. “I stayed there for a while,” said the researcher.

According to the study, “more than 44% of hospitalized patients were asymptomatic at the time of admission and were asymptomatic throughout.”

“Therefore, over-focusing on fever as the main symptom may overlook some cases. These asymptomatic patients are potential infected persons in the community. So this could be a cause for concern.”

Of the 44.4% of patients, “significant proportions” were asymptomatic, with 34.7% reporting cough, followed by 17.4% fever, but only 2% reporting nasal symptoms. did.

The only symptoms of Covid-19 mentioned above were fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath and tiredness. Since then, many new symptoms have been documented in the Department of Health’s clinical protocols. In June, the Union Ministry of Health identified odors and poor taste, diarrhea, and muscle aches as signs of Covid-19.

Purpose of the study:

This study aimed to explain the electrocardiographic characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of a group of Covid-19 patients in northern India. The survey was conducted between March and April. The researcher, Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS Delhi, published a paper entitled “Clinical Demographic Profile and Hospital Outcomes of Covid-19 Patients Admitted to Tertiary Health Care Centers in North India.”

The study found no correlation with smoking:

An interesting finding emerging from this study is that researchers did not associate age, sex, or even smoking habits with Covid-19 infected people when the study was conducted between March and April. I am.

The study found that there was “no significant association” between age, sex, smoking status, TLC (total vital capacity) grading, or lymphopenia and disease severity. “However, a significant association between symptomatic and severe disease and neutrophils to lymphocytes was observed. [N-L] Ratio” was announced. The NL ratio is used to identify inflammation in the body.

Nine patients (6.3%) were smokers, with a median smoking index of 200. “No patient had a serious illness or worsened during hospitalization.” A study was found.

The study also said, “However, according to a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, smoking is a high risk factor for Covid-19 progression with a high prevalence of smoking among patients with severe progressive disease or intensive care admissions. It seems to be

Patient profile

The study found that patients were more predominantly male compared to worldwide data (93 vs. 54.3-73%).

“But this is related to the fact that the majority of our patients were part of a public rally, mostly involving men, and were identified as Covid-19 hotspots, and patients were identified on active screening. May exist,” said the study.

Notably, two patients were health care providers treating Covid-19 patients and one was a public servant, who was in close contact with Covid-19 patients on duty and during the ongoing pandemic. Highlighted the risks associated with our healthcare and law enforcement operations.

The average age of the 144 patients surveyed was about 40, with 93.1% of the men including 10 foreigners. The most commonly recorded exposures were domestic travel to affected states (77.1%) and close contact with Covid-19 patients in the congregation (82.6%).

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The majority of patients were treated with supportive care, requiring only symptomatic treatment: antihistamines (48.6%), vitamin C (47.2%), paracetamol (20.8%). Azithromycin was prescribed to 29 (20.1%) patients, HCQ was given to 27 (18.7%) patients, and 11 (7.6%) received both HCQ and azithromycin. One patient was clinically radiologically prescribed antituberculosis therapy.

Only one patient (0.7%) needed mechanical ventilation. Five patients (3.5%) needed supplemental oxygen, but none were treated with noninvasive ventilation or high-flow nasal cannula.

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