Health Screening & Promotion Centre, Asan Medical Centre, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Department of Infectious Diseases, Asan Medical Centre, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020 Jul;26(7):948.e1-948.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.04.040. Epub 2020 May 1.
Detailed knowledge on the prevalence of asymptomatic cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the clinical characteristics of mild COVID-19 is essential for effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We determined the prevalence of asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 and characterized the symptoms of patients with mild COVID-19.
Study participants were recruited from a community facility designated for the isolation of patients without moderate-to-severe symptoms of COVID-19 in South Korea. The prevalence of asymptomatic patients at admission and the detailed symptoms of mild COVID-19 were evaluated through a questionnaire-based survey. Diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR.
Of the 213 individuals with COVID-19, 41 (19.2%) were asymptomatic until admission. Among the remaining patients with mild COVID-19, the most common symptom was cough (40.1%; 69/172), followed by hyposmia (39.5%; 68/172) and sputum (39.5%; 68/172). Of the 68 individuals with hyposmia, 61 (90%) had accompanying symptoms such as hypogeusia, nasal congestion or rhinorrhoea. Fever (>37.5°C) was only observed in 20 (11.6%) individuals.
As much as one-fifth of individuals with COVID-19 remained asymptomatic from exposure to admission. Hyposmia was quite frequent among individuals with mild COVID-19, but fever was not. Social distancing should be strongly implemented to prevent disease transmission from asymptomatic individuals or those with mild and inconspicuous symptoms.
详细了解 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）无症状病例的流行情况和轻症 COVID-19 的临床特征对于有效控制 COVID-19 大流行至关重要。我们确定了 COVID-19 无症状病例的流行情况，并描述了轻症 COVID-19 患者的症状。
研究参与者是从韩国一个专门用于隔离无 COVID-19 中度至重度症状患者的社区设施中招募的。通过问卷调查评估入院时无症状患者的比例和轻症 COVID-19 的详细症状。COVID-19 的诊断通过实时 RT-PCR 确认。
在 213 例 COVID-19 患者中，有 41 例（19.2%）在入院前无症状。在其余轻症 COVID-19 患者中，最常见的症状是咳嗽（40.1%；69/172），其次是嗅觉减退（39.5%；68/172）和咳痰（39.5%；68/172）。在 68 例嗅觉减退的患者中，有 61 例（90%）伴有味觉减退、鼻塞或流涕等伴随症状。仅有 20 例（11.6%）患者出现发热（>37.5°C）。
多达五分之一的 COVID-19 患者从接触到入院时一直无症状。嗅觉减退在轻症 COVID-19 患者中相当常见，但发热并不常见。应大力实施社交距离措施，以防止无症状感染者或轻症和不明显症状感染者传播疾病。
