Clinical manifestations of patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) attending at hospitals in Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh is in the rising phase of the ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The scientific literature on clinical manifestations of COVID-19 patients from Bangladesh is scarce. This study aimed to report the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in Bangladesh. We conducted a cross-sectional study at three dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. The severity of the COVID-19 cases was assessed based on the WHO interim guidance. Data were collected only from non-critical COVID-19 patients as critical patients required immediate intensive care admission making them unable to respond to the questions. A total of 103 RT-PCR confirmed non-critical COVID-19 patients were enrolled. Most of the patients (71.8%) were male. Mild, moderate and severe illness were assessed in 74.76%, 9.71% and 15.53% of patients respectively. Nearly 52.4% of patients had a co-morbidity, with hypertension being the most common (34%), followed by diabetes mellitus (21.4%) and ischemic heart disease (9.7%). Fever (78.6%), weakness (68%) and cough (44.7%) were the most common clinical manifestations. Other common symptoms included loss of appetite (37.9%), difficulty in breathing (37.9%), altered sensation of taste or smell (35.0%), headache (32%) and body ache (32%). The median time from onset of symptom to attending hospitals was 7 days (IQR 4-10). This study will help both the clinicians and epidemiologists to understand the magnitude and clinical spectrum of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh.

Clinical profile and short-term outcomes of RT-PCR positive COVID-19 patients in a tertiary care hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh

“…Around 9.35% of patients included in this study were asymptomatic during the initial assessment. Fever and respiratory symptoms were most common among the patients, reported in numerous other studies [21,27,28]. While several studies from China [28,29], Uzbekistan [30], and Brazil [31] reported weakness or fatigue as a common symptom, only 8% (n = 31 out of 377) of the patients reported that they experienced weakness during initial triage at the hospital.…”

“…Although previous studies detailed the clinical presentation of hospital-admitted Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive COVID-19 patients, very few of these originate from an LMIC, and fewer still from Bangladesh [20,21]. To our knowledge, no previous study from Bangladesh has been able to present a comprehensive clinical pro le of CVOID-19 patients by examining the full suite of patients' characteristics, clinical presentation, diagnostic test results, treatment regiment, health outcomes, and any reported complications during the follow-up.…”

A review of the genome, epidemiology, clinical features, prevention, and treatment scenario of COVID-19: Bangladesh aspects

“…A study of 103 RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 Bangladeshi patients demonstrated that 74.76% were mild, 9.71% were moderate, and 15.53% were severely ill patients. The most predominant clinical features include fever (78.6%), fatigue (68%), cough (44.7%), loss of appetite (37.9%), shortness of breath (37.9%), and anosmia (35.0%) [44]. Another study of 100 COVID-19 patients demonstrated symptoms like rhinitis (13.0%), body ache (13%), headache (12.0%), sputum (7.0%), abdominal pain (4.0%), and hemoptysis (3.0%) [45].…”

“…Hypertension (34.0%) was the most prevalent comorbidities associated with the patients followed by diabetes mellitus (21.4%). Ischemic heart disease (9.7%), chronic kidney disease (7.8%), renal disease (8.0%), and asthma/COPD (6.0%) were also manifested in the patients [44]. Anosmia is another prominent feature of COVID-19 and can appear suddenly as the sole symptom of the COVID-19 patients immediately after the onset of disease [47,48].…”

“…Anosmia is another prominent feature of COVID-19 and can appear suddenly as the sole symptom of the COVID-19 patients immediately after the onset of disease [47,48]. This symptom was present in 39% of mild, 40% of moderate, and 12.5% of severe Bangladeshi patients [44]. Findings from a study of 30 pregnant women with confirmed COVID-19 infection showed that abdominal pain (63.3%) was the predominant symptom followed by dry cough and fever.…”