[Features of 164 SARS-CoV-2 (+) patients consulting at an emergency room].

Zuccone, Giancarlo; Albornoz, Valentina; Ibáñez, Helga; Betancur, Raúl; Matute, Julio

BACKGROUND The clinical manifestations, mortality rates, laboratory and imaging findings of SARS-CoV-2 infection are not yet fully elucidated. AIM To describe the clinical manifestations, imaging and laboratory findings of 164 SARS-CoV-2 (+) patients consulting at an emergency room of a public general hospital in Santiago, Chile. MATERIAL AND METHODS Review of medical records, imaging and laboratory results of 164 patients aged between 16 and 92 years (57.9% males) consulting at the emergency room between March 12 and April 27, 2020. RESULTS The most common presenting symptom was dry cough in 47% of patients, followed by headache in 42% and myalgias in 42%. Forty five percent referred contact with an infected patient or having travelled out of town. Thirty-three (20%) required hospital admission and 5% required admission to an intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS These patients were predominantly young, and their most common symptoms were dry cough, headache and myalgias.