ArticlePloS one2021
Covid-19 in outpatients-Is fever a useful indicator for SARS-CoV-2 infection?
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- What can the neurological manifestations of COVID-19 tell us: a meta-analysis.Journal of translational medicine · 2021Pooled it
- COVID-19 as the occupational disease in employees of the University Hospital Ostrava.Central European journal of public health · 2025Article
- Fever duration, peak temperature and associated symptoms in Chinese adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- An after-action review of COVID-19 cases and mitigation measures at US Mission India, March 2020-July 2021.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- A cross-sectional study on clinical characteristics and severity of children with COVID-19 admitted to a teaching institute in North India.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2024Article
- Epidemiology, clinical characteristics and risk factors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Casablanca.Access microbiology · 2023Article
- Home Monitoring for Fever: An Inexpensive Screening Method to Prevent Household Spread of COVID-19.Journal of biotechnology and biomedicine · 2023Article
- Course of disease and risk factors for hospitalization in outpatients with a SARS-CoV-2 infection.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- COVID-19 Medical and Pharmacological Management in the European Countries Compared to Italy: An Overview.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Thermal dysregulation in patients with multiple sclerosis during SARS-CoV-2 infection. The potential therapeutic role of exercise.Multiple sclerosis and related disorders · 2022Review
- Research and Development of a COVID-19 Tracking System in Order to Implement Analytical Tools to Reduce the Infection Risk.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Graphene-based temperature, humidity, and strain sensor: A review on progress, characterization, and potential applications during Covid-19 pandemic.Sensors international · 2022Article
- Impact of Personal Protective Equipment on Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation in Coronavirus Pandemic.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2021Article
- Treatment decision for cancer patients with fever during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Yeungnam University journal of medicine · 2021Article
- Correction: Covid-19 in outpatients-Is fever a useful indicator for SARS-CoV-2 infection?PloS one · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveUnderstanding mild to moderate symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is important in order to identify active cases early and thus counteract transmission.
methodsIn March 2020, Leipzig University Hospital established an outpatient clinic for patients potentially infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Confirmed cases with mild to moderate symptoms self-isolated at home and were followed-up by daily telephone calls for at least 14 days. Symptoms and course of illness of these patients are reported here.
resultsFrom March 20 to April 17, 2020, 1460 individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by naso- or oropharyngeal swab for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Covid-19 was confirmed in 91 (6.2%) patients, of which 87 were included in the final analysis. Patients presented for testing after a mean of 5.9 days (IQR = 2.0-8.5). The median age was 37.0 years (IQR = 28.5-53), and 48 (55.2%) were female. Five (5.7%) patients required hospital admission during the course of illness. Most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (n = 64, 74%), cough (n = 58, 67%), and hyposmia/hypogeusia (n = 44, 51%). In contrast to previous reports, fever occurred in less than a third of patients (n = 25, 29%). By day 14, more than half of the patients had recovered completely (n = 37/70, 52.9%).
conclusionsFever seems to be less common in patients of relatively young age diagnosed with mild to moderate Covid-19. This suggests that body temperature alone may be an insufficient indicator of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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