Clinical Features of COVID-19 Patients in the First Year of Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Mohammed Al Maqbali, Khalid Al Badi, Mohammed Al Sinani and 2 others
PMID 34866409WHAT IT FOUND
Across 132,647 patients, fever (76.2%) and cough (60.4%) were the most common symptoms.
Fatigue (33.6%) and shortness of breath (26.2%) were also frequent, but prevalence varied significantly by continent and study quality.
Key findings
01Fever was the most prevalent symptom, occurring in 76.2% of patients, followed by cough in 60.4%.
02Fatigue was reported in 33.6% of patients, with higher prevalence in Europe (45.7%) compared to Asia (31.7%).
03Shortness of breath (dyspnea) occurred in 26.2% of patients, with prevalence significantly associated with mean age and pre-existing respiratory disease.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All included studies were retrospective, which introduces a risk of selection bias and potential inaccuracies in symptom reporting. There was significant heterogeneity in symptom prevalence across studies, partly explained by geographic location and study quality. Publication bias was detected for several major symptoms (fever, cough, dyspnea), suggesting that the reported prevalence rates might not reflect the true distribution. The data is from the first wave of the pandemic (early 2020) and may not apply to later variants with different clinical profiles. Many studies were conducted in China, which may limit the generalizability of findings to other populations.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these prevalence rates apply to current variants or vaccinated populations. The data is from the initial pandemic wave (early 2020), all studies were retrospective, and significant publication bias was detected for key symptoms like fever and cough. Symptom profiles have likely changed since then.