Early symptoms of COVID-19 differ across age groups: study

London: The results of a new study suggest that symptoms of early infection with COVID-19 differ between age groups and between men and women. These differences are most noticeable between younger age groups (16-59 years) compared to older age groups (60-> 80 years), and men have different symptoms compared to women in earlier years. stages of COVID-19 infection. The article, published today in the Lancet Digital Health and led by researchers at King’s College London, analyzes data from the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app between April 20 and October 15, 2020. Contributors to the application are advised to be tested as soon as they report new symptoms. , thanks to a joint initiative with the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. Researchers modeled early signs of COVID-19 infection and successfully detected 80% of cases using three days of self-reported symptoms.

Researchers compared the ability to predict early signs of COVID-19 infection using current National Health Service UK diagnostic criteria and a Gaussian hierarchical process model, a type of machine learning. This machine learning model was able to incorporate certain characteristics of the affected person, such as age, gender and health issues, and showed that the symptoms of early COVID-19 infection are different between groups. .

18 symptoms were examined, which had different relevance for early detection in different groups. The most important symptoms for the earliest detection of COVID-19 overall included loss of smell, chest pain, persistent cough, abdominal pain, blisters on the feet, eye pain, and pain. unusual muscles. However, the loss of smell became less important in people over 60 and was irrelevant for people over 80. Other early symptoms such as diarrhea were essential in the older age groups (60-79 and> 80). Fever, although a known symptom of the disease, was not an early feature of the disease in any age group. Men were more likely to report shortness of breath, fatigue, chills, and chills, while women were more likely to report loss of smell, chest pain, and persistent cough. While these models were generated in the COVID Symptom study app, the models have been replicated over time, suggesting that they would apply to non-app contributors as well. Although the models were used on the first strain of the virus and the Alpha variants, the main findings suggest that the symptoms of the Delta variant and subsequent variants will also differ among population groups.

Lead author Claire Steves, reader at King’s College London, said: “It is important for people to know that early symptoms are varied and may look different to each member of a family or household. Testing advice could be updated to allow case detection earlier, especially in the face of new, highly transmissible variants. This could include the use of lateral flow tests widely available for people with any of these. secondary symptoms. “

Dr Liane dos Santos Canas, the first author from King’s College London, said: “Currently in the UK only a few symptoms are used to recommend self-isolation and further testing. symptoms and only after a few days of being sick, using AI, we can better detect positive cases for COVID-19. We hope that such a method will be used to encourage more people to get tested the most as early as possible to minimize the risk of spread.

Dr Marc Modat, senior lecturer at King’s College London, said: “As part of our study, we were able to identify that the profile of symptoms due to COVID-19 differs from group to group. This suggests that the criteria to encourage people to test should be personalized using individual information such as age. Alternatively, a broader set of symptoms could be taken into account, so that different manifestations of the disease in different groups are taken into account. “