학술논문
Prevalence of symptoms of COVID-19 in the state of Rio Grande do Sul: results of a population-based study with 18,000 participants
Document Type
article
Author
Mesenburg, Marilia Arndt; Hallal, Pedro Curi; Menezes, Ana Maria Baptista; Barros, Aluísio J D; Horta, Bernardo Lessa; Hartwig, Fernando Pires; Jacques, Nadege; Pellanda, Lucia Campos; Zelmanowicz, Alice de Medeiros; Vergani, Daiane Oliveira Pereira; Ries, Edi Franciele; Harter, Jenifer; Martínez-Mesa, Jeovany; Carneiro, Marcelo; Estima, Sonara Lucia; Heck, Thiago Gomes; Silveira, Mariangela Freitas da
Source
Revista de Saúde Pública. January 2021 55
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
0034-8910
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of reports of symptoms of COVID-19 among individuals with and without antibodies and identify those with greater capability to predict the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. METHODS The study uses data collected in phases 5 to 8 of Epicovid-19-RS. The presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was evaluated by a rapid test. The occurrence of cough, fever, palpitations, sore throat, difficulty breathing, changes in taste and smell, vomiting, diarrhea, body pain, shaking, and headache since March 2020 was also evaluated. Then, the capability to predict the evaluated symptoms concerning the presence of antibodies was calculated. RESULTS A total of 18,000 individuals were interviewed and 181 had antibodies against COVID-19 in phases 5 to 8. The proportion of asymptomatic individuals was 19.9% among participants with antibodies and 49.7% among those without antibodies. All symptoms were reported more frequently by individuals with antibodies. The division of the prevalence of symptoms among individuals with antibodies by the prevalence among individuals without antibodies showed the following prevalence ratios: for changes in smell or taste (9.1), fever (4.2), tremors (3.9), breathing difficulty (3.2) and cough (2.8 times). Anosmia and fever were the symptoms with a greater capability to predict the presence of antibodies. CONCLUSION The prevalence of symptoms was higher among individuals with antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The proportion of asymptomatic individuals was low. Altered smell or taste and fever were the symptoms that most predict the presence of antibodies. These results can help to identify probable cases, contributing to the clinical diagnosis and screening of patients for testing and isolation guidance in positive cases, especially in scenarios of the scarcity of diagnostic COVID-19 tests.