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Observational Study
. 2021 Dec 6;26(1):115.
doi: 10.1186/s12199-021-01035-y.

Factors associated with prolonged duration of viral clearance in non-severe SARS-CoV-2 patients in Osaka, Japan

Emma Nakagawa Hoffman #  1   2 , Haruna Kawachi #  1   2 , Atsushi Hirayama  1   2 , Jingwen Zhang  1   2 , Ayumi Murayama  1 , Jun Masui  1 , Satomi Fujita  1 , Yasushi Mori  1 , Takanori Hirayama  1 , Toshitake Ohara  1 , Rumiko Asada  1 , Hiroyasu Iso  3
Affiliations
Observational Study

Factors associated with prolonged duration of viral clearance in non-severe SARS-CoV-2 patients in Osaka, Japan

Emma Nakagawa Hoffman et al. Environ Health Prev Med. .

Abstract

Background: We investigated factors associated with prolonged viral clearance of SARS-CoV-2 among non-severe adult patients in Osaka, Japan. A total of 706 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this longitudinal observational study between 29 January 2020 and 31 May 2020, across 62 hospitals and three non-hospital recuperation facilities.

Methods: Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors associated with prolonged (29 days: upper 25% in duration) viral clearance of SARS-CoV-2. Linear regression analysis was conducted to assess these factors 14 days after symptom onset.

Results: The median duration of viral clearance was 22 days from symptom onset. After adjustment for sex, age, symptoms, comorbidity, and location of recuperation, comorbidities were associated with prolonged duration: (OR, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.11-2.82]) for one, (OR, 2.47 [95% CI, 1.32-4.61]) for two or more comorbidities. Viral clearance 14 days after symptom onset was 3 days longer for one comorbidity and 4 days longer for two or more comorbidities compared to clearance when there was no comorbidity.

Conclusion: The presence of comorbidity was a robust factor associated with a longer duration of viral clearance, extending by 3 to 4 days compared to patients with no comorbidity.

Keywords: COVID-19; Comorbidity; Longitudinal studies; Virus shedding.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of patient selection
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The cumulative rate of viral clearance in prolonged and non-prolonged patients
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Histogram of the duration of viral clearance
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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