Clinical and laboratory characteristics in outpatient diagnosis of COVID-19 in healthcare professionals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to identify the symptoms associated with early stage SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infections in healthcare professionals (HCPs) using both clinical and laboratory data.

Methods: A total of 1297 patients, admitted between 18 March and 8 April 2020, were stratified according to their risk of developing COVID-19 using their responses to a questionnaire designed to evaluate symptoms and risk conditions.

Results: Anosmia/hyposmia (p<0.0001), fever (p<0.0001), body pain (p<0.0001) and chills (p=0.001) were all independent predictors for COVID-19, with a 72% estimated probability for detecting COVID-19 in nasopharyngeal swab samples. Leucopenia, relative monocytosis, decreased eosinophil values, C reactive protein (CRP) and platelets were also shown to be significant independent predictors for COVID-19.

Conclusions: The significant clinical features for COVID-19 were identified as anosmia, fever, chills and body pain. Elevated CRP, leucocytes under 5400×10⁹/L and relative monocytosis (>9%) were common among patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. These variables may help, in the absence of reverse transcriptase PCR tests, to identify possible COVID-19 infections during pandemic outbreaks.

Summary: From 19 March to 8 April 2020, 1297 patients attended the Polyclinic Piquet Carneiro for COVID-19 detection. HCP data were analysed, and significant clinical features were anosmia, fever, chills and body pain. Elevated CRP, leucopenia and monocytosis were common in COVID-19.

Keywords: biochemistry; diagnosis; diagnostic screening programmes; leucocytes; viruses.