How Screening plays role in Covid-19 management? Results of a Cross-Sectional Study on Covid-19 patients signs and symptoms

Abstract

Background and objective: Today, COVID-19 outbreak has become a global alert. So, lots of medical complications and socioeconomic and mental burdens have arisen following the outbreak of the disease. There is no adequate general strategy for total control of the virus’s widespread. According to this, preventive or early diagnostic measures are crucial. In this study, we designed a questionnaire in the context of the 4030 telephonic platform to assess the most common symptoms of COVID-19 in Iran. 
 Materials and Methods: A questionnaire that had been designed with 20 common and rare symptoms of COVID-19 was filled out by 115 operators of 4030, a 24-hour call center to answer the Iranians' questions associated with COVID-19 and screen probable COVID-19 cases.
 Results: Common COVID-19 symptoms among people included cough, dyspnea, sore throat, myalgia, headache, anosmia, fever, dysgeusia, chilling, lethargy, and fatigue. Also, less common symptoms were rhinorrhea, sneeze, vomiting, diarrhea, nasal congestion, eyesore, stomach ache, jaw pain, dry mouth, and abdominal cramps. 
 Discussion and Conclusion: Our study showed that the most common symptoms of COVID-19 in Iran include cough, dyspnea, sore throat, myalgia, headache, anosmia, fever, dysgeusia, chilling, lethargy, and fatigue. Some symptoms may incident due to over-use of disinfectants, or aggravated by fear of infection, or misdiagnosed with other issues such as food poisoning, flu, panic attacks, and allergies. Consequently, It seems that screening can help find new cases who haven’t refered to hospitals and health care centres, and this can result in COVID-19 improving, Covid-19 management, and decreasing the costs of patients and health systems.