Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

November 16, 2020

Association between COVID-19 Diagnosis and Presenting Chief Complaint from New York City Triage Data

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A retrospective analysis of adult emergency department visits from New York City found there may be populations of patients at high risk for COVID-19 who present with atypical complaints and symptoms. While most people who received SARS-CoV-2 testing had a fever, shortness of breath, or a cough, many others who received testing reported symptoms of weakness/falls/altered mental status (57.5%), poor glycemic control (55.5%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (51.4%). Among patients over 65, 76.7% of patients who had diarrhea, 73.7% with fatigue, and 69.3% reporting feeling weak had COVID-19. Among patients who died, 45.5% experienced dehydration, 40.5% had altered mental status, 27% had falls, and 24.6% had hyperglycemia.

Clifford et al. (Nov 2020). Association between COVID-19 Diagnosis and Presenting Chief Complaint from New York City Triage Data. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016j.ajem.2020.11.006