We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
App-Based Tracking of Self-Reported COVID-19 Symptoms: Analysis of Questionnaire Data.
- Authors
Zens, Martin; Brammertz, Arne; Herpich, Juliane; Südkamp, Norbert; Hinterseer, Martin
- Abstract
<bold>Background: </bold>COVID-19 is an infectious disease characterized by various clinical presentations. Knowledge of possible symptoms and their distribution allows for the early identification of infected patients.<bold>Objective: </bold>To determine the distribution pattern of COVID-19 symptoms as well as possible unreported symptoms, we created an app-based self-reporting tool.<bold>Methods: </bold>The COVID-19 Symptom Tracker is an app-based daily self-reporting tool. Between April 8 and May 15, 2020, a total of 22,327 individuals installed this app on their mobile device. An initial questionnaire asked for demographic information (age, gender, postal code) and past medical history comprising relevant chronic diseases. The participants were reminded daily to report whether they were experiencing any symptoms and if they had been tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Participants who sought health care services were asked additional questions regarding diagnostics and treatment. Participation was open to all adults (≥18 years). The study was completely anonymous.<bold>Results: </bold>In total, 11,829 (52.98%) participants completed the symptom questionnaire at least once. Of these, 291 (2.46%) participants stated that they had undergone an RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test for SARS-CoV-2; 65 (0.55%) reported a positive test result and 226 (1.91%) a negative one. The mean number of reported symptoms among untested participants was 0.81 (SD 1.85). Participants with a positive test result had, on average, 5.63 symptoms (SD 2.82). The most significant risk factors were diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 8.95, 95% CI 3.30-22.37) and chronic heart disease (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.43-5.69). We identified chills, fever, loss of smell, nausea and vomiting, and shortness of breath as the top five strongest predictors for a COVID-19 infection. The odds ratio for loss of smell was 3.13 (95% CI 1.76-5.58). Nausea and vomiting (OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.61-5.00) had been reported as an uncommon symptom previously; however, our data suggest a significant predictive value.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Self-reported symptom tracking helps to identify novel symptoms of COVID-19 and to estimate the predictive value of certain symptoms. This aids in the development of reliable screening tools. Clinical screening with a high pretest probability allows for the rapid identification of infections and the cost-effective use of testing resources. Based on our results, we suggest that loss of smell and taste be considered cardinal symptoms; we also stress that diabetes is a risk factor for a highly symptomatic course of COVID-19 infection.
- Subjects
SYMPTOMS; COVID-19; MEDICAL care; DATA analysis; SARS-CoV-2; VIRAL pneumonia; RESEARCH; MOBILE apps; SELF-evaluation; RESEARCH methodology; MEDICAL screening; DIABETES; EVALUATION research; MEDICAL cooperation; COMPARATIVE studies; EPIDEMICS; EARLY diagnosis
- Publication
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2020, Vol 22, Issue 9, pN.PAG
- ISSN
1439-4456
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.2196/21956