Características clínicas y epidemiológicas de 184 casos de COVID-19 atendidos en un Hospital de Emergencias José Casimiro Ulloa, Lima, Perú

COVID-19 is an infectious disease that has caused significant rates of morbidity and mortality in the world population, scientific evidence has sought to describe the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2. In Peru, the first case was registered on March 6, 2020. Since then, medical personnel have made efforts to establish an adequate and effective clinical approach. In this context, it was intended to epidemiologically and clinically characterize COVID-19 from 184 positive cases, through a rapid test, treated in the emergency room of the José Casimiro Ulloa Hospital. A descriptive, retrospective and sectional investigation was carried out. As results, the male sex predominated 67.93% (125/184) with an average age of 56 years; compared to the female sex, 32.07% (59/184), with a median of 52 years. For the symptoms, in 100% of the cases fever and dry cough were reported; followed by 46.74% dyspnea and odynophagia, respectively. In turn, 33.5% showed nasal congestion and 21.74% chest pain. Paraclinical examinations showed decreased oxygen saturation (100%), lymphopenia (66.14%), and increased CRP (66.14%). In the TEM, 100% of the patients presented alterations suggestive of COVID-19. In conclusion, in SARS-CoV-2 infection, there is a predominance in males, with a higher incidence between the fourth and fifth decades of life. Fever, dry cough and dyspnea were frequent symptoms. TEM showed pulmonary alterations in all cases, demonstrating high sensitivity for the timely diagnosis of COVID-19.