Association Between Initial Symptoms and Clinical Outcomes in COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents with diverse symptoms, ranging from localized respiratory issues to systemic manifestations.
• Previous research has not differentiated severe COVID-19 risk based on whether initial symptoms were localized respiratory or systemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the risk of severe COVID-19 differs between patients whose initial symptoms are confined to localized respiratory issues versus those with systemic symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter prospective cohort study involving 100 adult COVID-19 patients (July 2020 - August 2021).
• Patients were categorized into localized respiratory symptom group or systemic symptom group based on onset symptoms.
• Demographic data, blood biomarkers (e.g., IL-6, hydroperoxides), and clinical outcomes (mortality, ICU admission, intubation, discharge time) were compared.

Main Results:

• The study included 12 patients in the localized respiratory group and 88 in the systemic group.
• No significant differences were found in baseline characteristics, biomarkers, or clinical outcomes between the two groups.
• Mortality rates were 0.0% and 4.6% respectively; median discharge times were 11 and 10 days, with no significant difference (p=0.512).

Conclusions:

• The type of symptom at COVID-19 onset (localized respiratory vs. systemic) showed no significant association with clinical outcomes.
• Effective disease progression prediction and management require comprehensive patient assessments beyond initial symptom presentation.