Trends in Clinical Symptoms of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the Northwest of Iran

Abstract

Background: Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses and constitute a subfamily of Coronaviridae ranging from the common cold virus to viruses causing more acute diseases such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Symptom), MERSE (Middle East Respiratory Symptom) and COVID-19 inflicting human respiratory system.Methods: The current study is a cross-sectional descriptive study collecting data from COVID-19 patients in Ardabil Province in 2020. To investigate the relationship between the clinical symptoms and time periods of the disease, chi-square and Fisher exact test were used.Results: A total of 5,541 cases were admitted in the hospitals of Ardabil province during the study period of which 2,505 (45.22%) patients had a positive PCR test. The patients were investigated in two different periods. The first period covered the onset of the disease in Ardabil on April 30, 2020, and the second period covered the time from May 1, to July 1, 2020.Conclusion: The results of the study reveal that among PCR-positive patients, the prevalence of stomachache and aches and pains was almost doubled between the two periods (P ˂ 0.05). Nevertheless, other symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, runny nose, chest pain and conjunctivitis reduced significantly (P ˂ 0.05).