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. 2022 Jan 4;11(1):243.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11010243.

Clinical Presentation of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus Infection and Predictive Validity of the PCR Test in Primary Health Care Worker Patients of the Spanish National Health System

Esperanza Romero-Rodríguez  1   2   3   4 , Luis A Pérula-de Torres  1   2   3   4 , Jesús González-Lama  1   3   5 , Celia Jiménez-García  1   2 , Rafael A Castro-Jiménez  1 , Jerónimo J González-Bernal  6 , Paula Rodríguez-Fernández  6 , Juan Mielgo-Ayuso  6 , Mirian Santamaría-Peláez  6 , Josefa González-Santos  6
Affiliations

Clinical Presentation of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus Infection and Predictive Validity of the PCR Test in Primary Health Care Worker Patients of the Spanish National Health System

Esperanza Romero-Rodríguez et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Despite the impact that the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection has presented in Spain, data on the diagnostic capacity of the symptoms associated with this infection are limited, especially among patients with mild symptoms and who are detected in the primary care field (PC). The objective of the present study was to know the associated symptoms and their predictive criterial validity in SARS-CoV-2 infection among professionals working in PC.

Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter study was carried out in the Spanish National Health System, through an epidemiological survey directed to patients who underwent the PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 in the PC setting.

Results: A total of 1612 patients participated, of which 86.6% were PC healthcare professionals, and of these, 67.4% family doctors. Hyposmia, with a sensitivity of 42.69% (95% CI: 37.30-48.08) and a specificity of 95.91% (95% CI: 94.78-97.03), and ageusia with a sensitivity of 39.47% (34.15-44.80) and a specificity of 95.20% (93.98-96.41) were the symptoms with the highest criteria validity indexes.

Conclusions: This study identifies the specific symptoms of loss of smell or taste as the most frequently associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, essential in the detection of COVID-19 given its high frequency and predictive capacity.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; health professional; predictive value; primary care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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