Publication: COVID-19 Infection among Patients Attending the Fever Clinic of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study
Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nepal Medical Association
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus. COVID-19 patients present with lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated inflammatory markers. This study aims to find out the prevalence of COVID-19 infection among patients attending the fever clinic of a tertiary care centre.
Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from 15th July, 2020 to 15th January, 2021 in the Department of Pathology at a tertiary care centre. The ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee of a tertiary care centre (Reference number: 2007021388). The patients who attended the fever clinic during the study period were subjected to the COVID-19 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test. A total of 1431 samples were taken using the convenience sampling method. All data were filled into a predesigned proforma and entered into Microsoft Excel. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 24.0. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data and mean and standard deviation for continuous data.
Results: Among 1431 patients attending the fever clinic, the prevalence of COVID-19 was found in 277 (19.31%) (17.26-21.36 at 95% Confidence Interval). Most patients belonged to the age group of 20-29 years. There were 113 (40.79%) females and 164 (59.21%) males.
Conclusions: The prevalence of COVID-19 infection in this study was higher than similar studies done in similar settings. Most cases had a low hematocrit with anemia. The total count, absolute neutrophil count, and absolute leukocyte count showed a wide range of variation.
Description
Manisha Shrestha
Department of Pathology, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lagankhel, Lalitpur, Nepal
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2313-6835
Palzum Sherpa
Department of Pathology, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lagankhel, Lalitpur, Nepal
Shiva Raj KC
Department of Pathology, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lagankhel, Lalitpur, Nepal
Keywords
Blood cell count, COVID-19, Hematology, Lymphocytes, Neutrophils