Comparison of Clinical, Laboratory and Demographic Characteristics of Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 as Symptomatic and Atypical Symptoms.

Akpinar, Guleser; Demir, Mehmet C; Sultanoglu, Hasan; Unlu, Elif N; Oksuz, Sukru

BACKGROUND Clinical findings of COVID-19 have been observed with a wide spectrum ranging from asymptomatic disease and mild upper respiratory tract infection to severe viral pneumonia resulting in mortality. While clinical symptoms present in some COVID-19 patients, others have been incidentally identified. The objective of this study was to examine the clinical and laboratory features of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who were symptomatic or had atypical symptoms and to make a contribution to the literature. METHODS Patients with the likelihood of having COVID-19 pneumonia were evaluated with RT-PCR samples, other laboratory tests, and chest computed tomography. RESULTS There were significant differences between these groups in terms of age, dyspnea, saturation, and comor-bidities including hypertension [HT] in 19 patients, cerebrovascular events [CVE] that were classified as other diseases in two patients (intracranial mass in one patient and Alzheimer's disease in one patient), and CRP and platelet counts (PLT) among the laboratory parameters (for all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Atypical symptoms have increased due to the progression of the outbreak. Infected people with atypical symptoms can act as sources of the infection. Therefore, the epidemiological history of these patients should be sought in detail, and individuals with atypical symptoms in society should be identified as soon as possible in order to control the spreading of the disease.