Diagnosis of COVID-19 based on symptomatic analysis of hospital healthcare workers

Diagnosis of COVID-19 based on symptomatic analysis of hospital healthcare workers in Belgium: observational study in a large Belgian tertiary care center during early COVID-19 outbreak

Authors: Nele Van Loon, Mathieu Verbrugghe, Reinoud Cartuyvels, Dirk Ramaekers

Objective: To identify early symptoms allowing rapid appraisal of infection with SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers of a large Belgian hospital.

Methods: Healthcare workers with mild symptoms of an acute respiratory tract infection were systematically screened on clinical characteristics of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A nasopharyngeal swab was taken and analyzed by real-time Reverse-Transcription-Polymerase-Chain-Reaction (rRT-PCR).

Results: Fifty percent of 373 workers tested COVID-19 positive. The symptoms cough (82%), headache (78%), myalgia (70%), loss of smell or taste (40%), and fever more than or equal to 37.5 °C (76%) were significantly higher among those infected.

Conclusion: Where each individual symptom contributes to the clinical evaluation of possible infection, it is the combination of COVID-19 symptoms that could allow for a rapid diagnostic appraisal of the disease in a high prevalence setting. Early transmission control is important at the onset of an epidemic.

This article is a trending article in the field of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The abstract above was written by the author(s) below. This study was conducted by the author(s) below and published in the journal or book below.

Authors: Nele Van Loon, Mathieu Verbrugghe, Reinoud Cartuyvels, Dirk Ramaekers

Journal: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Link 1: this article @ Pubmed

Link 2: this article @ Wolters Kluwer(JOEM) [Full Text]