Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33444755›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases2021

The epidemiological and radiographical characteristics of asymptomatic infections with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Can Chen, Changtai Zhu, Danying Yan, Hongchao Liu, Danfeng Li, Yuqing Zhou, Xiaofang Fu, Jie Wu, Cheng Ding, Guo Tian and 6 more

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
31citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

31 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.

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  16. Genome-wide association study of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Chinese population.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Can ChenState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Changtai ZhuDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, No 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China.
Danying YanState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Hongchao LiuDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, No 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China.
Danfeng LiDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, No 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China.
Yuqing ZhouState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Xiaofang FuState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Jie WuState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Cheng DingState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Guo TianState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Lei LanState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Xiaoxiao LiuState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Chenyang HuangState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China.
Robert HechtDepartment of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. Electronic address: robert.hecht@yale.edu.
Lanjuan LiState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China. Electronic address: ljli@zju.edu.cn.
Shigui YangState Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. Electronic address: yangshigui@zju.edu.cn.
First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University · CNShanghai Sixth People's Hospital · CNState Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious DiseasesShanghai Jiao Tong University · CNYale University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe role of asymptomatic infections in the transmission of COVID-19 have drawn considerable attention. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to summarize the epidemiological and radiographical characteristics of asymptomatic infections associated with COVID-19.

methodsData on the epidemiological and radiographical characteristics of asymptomatic infections were extracted from the existing literature. Pooled proportions with 95% confidence intervals were then calculated using a random effects model.

resultsA total of 104 studies involving 20,152 cases were included. The proportion of asymptomatic individuals among those with COVID-19 was 13.34% (10.86%-16.29%), among which presymptomatic and covert infections accounted for 7.64% (4.02%-14.04%) and 8.44% (5.12%-13.62%), respectively. The proportions of asymptomatic infections among infected children and healthcare workers were 32.24% (23.08%-42.13%) and 36.96% (18.51%-60.21%), respectively. The proportion of asymptomatic infections was significantly higher after 2020/02/29 than before (33.53% vs 10.19%) and in non-Asian regions than in Asia (28.76% vs 11.54%). The median viral shedding duration of asymptomatic infections was 14.14 days (11.25-17.04). A total of 47.62% (31.13%-72.87%) of asymptomatic infections showed lung abnormalities, especially ground-glass opacity (41.11% 19.7%-85.79%).

conclusionsAsymptomatic infections were more commonly found in infected children and healthcare workers and increased after 2020/02/29 and in non-Asian regions. Chest radiographical imaging could be conducive to the early identification of asymptomatic infections.

Indexed as

Virus SheddingAsymptomatic InfectionsCOVID-19HumansRadiography, ThoracicSARS-CoV-2AsymptomaticCovert infectionsCOVID-19Epidemiological characteristicsPresymptomaticRadiographical findings

Identifiers

PMID33444755
PMCPMC7833455
OpenAlexW3118769331

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.