Cargando…

Looking for fever in nursing home residents with COVID-19: A false friend?

OBJECTIVES: Residents in nursing homes represent a frail, elderly population, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can spread easily in this setting. Despite a frequent severe evolution of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), these patients often present an atyp...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Raimondi, Ambra, Poma, Gianluigi, Piralla, Antonio, Meroni, Valeria, Baldanti, Fausto, Filice, Carlo
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7751378/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33359063
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.12.052
Descripción
Sumario:OBJECTIVES: Residents in nursing homes represent a frail, elderly population, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can spread easily in this setting. Despite a frequent severe evolution of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), these patients often present an atypical course with mild initial symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of fever in elderly patients with COVID-19 residing in nursing homes. METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-one elderly patients from three nursing homes in Pavia and surrounding area were enrolled in April–May 2020. SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction with nasopharyngeal swab and/or serological assay (LIAISON® SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG). Patients with a positive result on RT-PCR or serology were classed as positive. RESULTS: In total, 170 patients (74%) were SARS-CoV-2-positive on RT-PCR and/or serology, and 61 patients (26%) had negative results on both tests. Fever (body temperature >37.5 °C) was observed in four patients (1.7%): three in the SARS-CoV-2-positive group (1.8%) and one in the SARS-CoV-2-negative group (1.6%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of fever was extremely low in this population of nursing home residents with COVID-19. This finding must be taken into consideration when screening patients without fever in nursing homes.