SARS-CoV-2 in a tropical area of Colombia, a remarkable conversion of presymptomatic to symptomatic people impacts public health.
BMC Infect Dis
; 22(1): 644, 2022 Jul 26.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1962760
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The ability of SARS-CoV-2 to remain in asymptomatic individuals facilitates its dissemination and makes its control difficult.OBJECTIVE:
To establish a cohort of asymptomatic individuals, change to the symptomatic status, and determine the most frequent clinical manifestations.METHODS:
Between April 9 and August 9, 2020, molecular diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed in 154 asymptomatic people in contact with subjects diagnosed with COVID-19. Nasopharyngeal swabs were performed on these people in different hospitals in Córdoba, the Caribbean area of Colombia. The genes E, RdRp, and N were amplified with RT-qPCR. Based on the molecular results and the Cq values, the patients were subsequently followed up through telephone calls to verify their health conditions.RESULTS:
Overall, of 154 asymptomatic individuals, 103 (66.9%) remained asymptomatic, and 51 (33.1%) changed to symptomatic. The most frequent clinical manifestations in young people were anosmia and arthralgia. Adults showed cough, ageusia, and odynophagia; in the elderly were epigastralgia, dyspnea, and headache. Mortality was 8%.CONCLUSIONS:
A proportion of 33% of presymptomatic individuals was found, of which four of them died. This high rate could indicate a silent transmission, contributing significantly to the epidemic associated with SARS-CoV-2.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Diagnostic study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Colombia
Language:
English
Journal:
BMC Infect Dis
Journal subject:
Communicable Diseases
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12879-022-07575-0
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS