Abstract
This analysis described the clinical features of COVID-19 in the early phase of the pandemic in Ghana. Data were extracted from two national COVID-19 treatment centers in Ghana for over 11 weeks(from March to May 2020). Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Modified Ordered Logistic and Negative Binomial Regression analysis were applied to establish factors associated with illness severity and Non-communicable Disease (NCDs) counts respectively. All analysis was conducted at the 95% confidence level (p-value ≤ 0.05) using Stata 16. Among the 275 patients, the average age was 40.7±16.4, with a preponderance of males (54.5%). The three commonest symptoms presented were cough (21.3%), headache (15.7%), and sore throat (11.7%). Only 7.6% of the patients had a history of fever. Most patients were asymptomatic (51.65). Approximately 38.9% have an underlying co-morbid NCDs, with Hypertension (32.1%), Diabetes (9.9%), and Asthma (5.2%) being the three commonest. The odds of Moderate/severe (MoS) was significantly higher for those with unknown exposures to similar illness [aOR(95%CI) = 4.27(1.12-10.2)] compared with non-exposure to similar illness. An increased unit of NCD's count significantly increased the odds of COVID-19 MoS illness by 26%[cOR(95%CI) =1.26(1.09-1.84)] and 67% (adjusting for age) [aOR(95%CI)=1.67(1.13-2.49)]. The presence of cardiovascular co-morbidities dictated the frequency of reported symptoms and severity of COVID-19 infection in this sample of Ghanaians. Physicians should be aware of the presence of co-morbid NCDs and prepare to manage effectively among COVID-19 patients. None declared.
Highlights
IntroductionThe Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an enveloped positive sense RNA virus and about 80% resemblance to the 2002 SARS-CoV, emerged from Wuhan, China, in December 2019.1 It presented as severe Pneumonia of unknown cause with most of the cases initially having a common exposure to seafood and live animal market.[1]
Physicians should be aware of the presence of co-morbid Non-communicable Disease (NCDs) and prepare to manage effectively among COVID-19 patients
The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an enveloped positive sense RNA virus and about 80% resemblance to the 2002 SARS-CoV, emerged from Wuhan, China, in December 2019.1 It presented as severe Pneumonia of unknown cause with most of the cases initially having a common exposure to seafood and live animal market.[1]
Summary
The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an enveloped positive sense RNA virus and about 80% resemblance to the 2002 SARS-CoV, emerged from Wuhan, China, in December 2019.1 It presented as severe Pneumonia of unknown cause with most of the cases initially having a common exposure to seafood and live animal market.[1]. The Disease presents with varied symptoms and signs in different individuals in the same geographical area and across different areas, ranging from being asymptomatic to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and multi-organ damage.[1] The earlier reported symptoms of the virus included fever, cough, cold, excessive sneezing complicated by severe pneumonia. The most common features are purported to be fever and a new persistent cough, the global prevalence of these symptoms remains unclear.[1] It has been estimated that over 80% of all infected cases are asymptomatic or present with mild symptoms i.e. the pandemic has a lot of asymptomatic incubatory and healthy carriers.[1,4]
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