Table 3. Status at presentation and reported symptoms in adults hospitalized with COVID-19 (N = 109), by age group and sex—Puerto Rico, March-August 2020.
| Characteristic | All patients, No. (%) (N = 109) |
Age group (years) | Sex | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | p-value* | No. (%) | p-value* | |||||||||||
| 18–49 | 50–64 | ≥65 | Male | Female | ||||||||||
| (n = 26) | (n = 36) | (n = 47) | (n = 56) | (n = 53) | ||||||||||
| Presentation | ||||||||||||||
| ED visit without admission in prior 2 weeks | 10 | (9.2) | 0 | (—) | 6 | (16.7) | 4 | (8.5) | 0.077 | 5 | (8.9) | 5 | (9.4) | 1.00 |
| Separate hospitalization with discharge in prior 2 weeks | 3 | (2.8) | 0 | (—) | 1 | (2.8) | 2 | (4.3) | 0.79 | 2 | (3.6) | 1 | (1.9) | 1.00 |
| Median days between illness onset and presentation† | 7.0 | (4.0–10.0) | 5.0 | (4.0–8.0) | 8.0 | (6.0–14.0) | 6.0 | (4.0–11.0) | 0.047 | 7.0 | (4.0–11.0) | 7.0 | (4.0–10.0) | 0.93 |
| Fever (≥100.4°F) | 12 | (11.0) | 3 | (11.5) | 3 | (8.3) | 6 | (12.8) | 0.86 | 4 | (7.1) | 8 | (15.1) | 0.23 |
| Tachycardia (≥100 BPM) | 44 | (40.4) | 15 | (57.7) | 13 | (36.1) | 16 | (34.0) | 0.13 | 22 | (39.3) | 22 | (41.5) | 0.85 |
| Hypoxemia (O2 sat <95%)§ | 41 | (37.6) | 2 | (7.7) | 16 | (44.4) | 23 | (50.0) | 0.001 | 23 | (41.1) | 18 | (34.6) | 0.55 |
| Hypoxemia indicating oxygen support (O2 sat <93%)§ | 23 | (21.1) | 2 | (7.7) | 9 | (25.0) | 12 | (26.1) | 0.13 | 13 | (23.2) | 10 | (19.2) | 0.65 |
| Tachypnea (≥21 breaths per minute) | 36 | (33.0) | 7 | (26.9) | 12 | (33.3) | 17 | (36.2) | 0.73 | 18 | (32.1) | 18 | (34.0) | 1.00 |
| Systolic hypertension (≥140 mmHg) | 30 | (27.5) | 3 | (11.5) | 13 | (36.1) | 14 | (29.8) | 0.087 | 17 | (30.4) | 13 | (24.5) | 0.53 |
| Reported symptoms | ||||||||||||||
| Cough | 92 | (84.4) | 22 | (84.6) | 34 | (94.4) | 36 | (76.6) | 0.083 | 46 | (82.1) | 46 | (86.8) | 0.60 |
| Dry cough | 76 | (69.7) | 16 | (61.5) | 32 | (88.9) | 28 | (59.6) | 0.006 | 40 | (71.4) | 36 | (67.9) | 0.84 |
| Dyspnea (Shortness of breath, SOB) | 80 | (73.4) | 21 | (80.8) | 30 | (83.3) | 29 | (61.7) | 0.063 | 37 | (66.1) | 43 | (81.1) | 0.087 |
| Median days between illness onset and SOB onset† | 5.0 | (3.0–9.0) | 5.0 | (3.0–7.0) | 6.0 | (4.0–10.0) | 6.0 | (2.0–10.0) | 0.55 | 7.0 | (3.0–10.0) | 5.0 | (3.0–8.0) | 0.54 |
| Fatigue | 68 | (62.4) | 17 | (65.4) | 25 | (69.4) | 26 | (55.3) | 0.41 | 32 | (57.1) | 36 | (67.9) | 0.32 |
| Myalgia | 49 | (45.0) | 13 | (50.0) | 18 | (50.0) | 18 | (38.3) | 0.47 | 26 | (46.4) | 23 | (43.4) | 0.85 |
| Fever, subjective | 47 | (43.1) | 14 | (53.9) | 15 | (41.7) | 18 | (38.3) | 0.45 | 23 | (41.1) | 24 | (45.3) | 0.70 |
| Chills | 41 | (37.6) | 15 | (57.7) | 14 | (38.9) | 12 | (25.5) | 0.028 | 21 | (37.5) | 20 | (37.7) | 1.00 |
| Loss of appetite | 31 | (28.4) | 6 | (23.1) | 11 | (30.6) | 14 | (29.8) | 0.83 | 12 | (21.4) | 19 | (35.9) | 0.14 |
| Diarrhea | 27 | (24.8) | 6 | (23.1) | 9 | (25.0) | 12 | (25.5) | 1.00 | 15 | (26.8) | 12 | (22.6) | 0.66 |
| Headache | 27 | (24.8) | 7 | (26.9) | 10 | (27.8) | 10 | (21.3) | 0.75 | 13 | (23.2) | 14 | (26.4) | 0.82 |
| Nausea | 25 | (22.9) | 6 | (23.1) | 6 | (16.7) | 13 | (27.7) | 0.47 | 6 | (10.7) | 19 | (35.9) | 0.003 |
Abbreviations: COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019; °F = degrees Fahrenheit; BPM = beats per minute; O2 sat = oxygen saturation; mmHg = millimeters of mercury; SOB = shortness of breath; IQR = interquartile range.
*P values were calculated using Fisher’s exact tests for proportions and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test or the Kruskal-Wallis H test for medians.
†Continuous variables are presented as median (IQR).
§30.8% (33/107) of patients were receiving oxygen support during the O2 sat reading at presentation.