Abstract
Background: The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are different, which can be attributed to asymptomatic carriers, acute respiratory disease and pneumonia with different severities. The aim of this study was to compare the epidemiological characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with clinical symptoms versus asymptomatic patients.
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the epidemiological characteristics of two groups of patients, with clinical symptoms (n = 38,630) and without clinical symptoms who were definitive cases of COVID-19 (n = 2,327) were investigated in the southwestern of Iran. Chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences between qualitative variables in the two study groups.
Results: Of 40,957 patients with COVID-19, 2,327 (5.68%) were asymptomatic, of whom 1391 (59.77%) were males, 1841 patients (79.11%) had a history of contact with definite or suspected cases of COVID-19. Asymptomatic patients were older than symptomatic cases. Patients with clinical symptoms had higher mortality rate than asymptomatic patients (2.68% in symptomatic patients vs 0% in asymptomatic patients).
Conclusion: According to the results of our study, the detected viral load in asymptomatic individuals was similar to that of symptomatic patients, indicating that asymptomatic infections can potentially transmit the disease. Therefore, screening and detection of asymptomatic cases is an important and key measure in prevention and early control of COVID-19 worldwide.
Keywords: Asymptomatic infection; COVID-19; Patients with clinical symptoms.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, asymptomatic infection, Patients with clinical symptoms., 【초록키워드】 Clinical symptoms, Pneumonia, outcome, asymptomatic infections, clinical manifestations, Iran, Symptomatic patients, Asymptomatic individuals, Characteristics, Asymptomatic, Viral load, Patient, asymptomatic infection, Asymptomatic carriers, Asymptomatic case, Asymptomatic cases, epidemiological, mortality rate, asymptomatic patients, patients, asymptomatic patient, Contact, acute respiratory disease, contact with, clinical manifestation, chi-square test, retrospective cohort study, Older, two groups, clinical symptom, study groups, symptomatic cases, Chi-square, qualitative variables, variable, asymptomatic individual, males, was used, evaluate, investigated, the disease, two group, COVID-19 in patient, patients with COVID-19, symptomatic patient, 【제목키워드】 outcome, Characteristics, Asymptomatic, symptomatic patient,