Fever as a predictor of adverse outcomes in COVID-19

• Published in: QJM : An International Journal of Medicine Vol. 114; no. 10; pp. 706 - 714
• Main Authors: Chew, N W, Ngiam, J N, Tham, S M, Lim, Z Y, Li, T Y W, Cen, S, Yap, E S, Tambyah, P A, Santosa, A, Cross, G B, Sia, C -H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 20.12.2021
• Subjects: COVID-19; Humans; Original Paper; SARS-CoV-2
• ISSN: 1460-2725; 1460-2393
• DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcab023

Summary Background/Introduction There are little data on outcomes of COVID-19 patients with the presence of fever compared to the presence of symptoms. Aim We examined the associations between symptomology, presence of fever and outcomes of a COVID-19 cohort. Design and Methods Between 23 January and 30 April 2020, 554 COVID-19 patients were admitted to a tertiary hospital in Singapore. They were allocated into four groups based on symptomology and fever—Group 1: asymptomatic and afebrile, Group 2: symptomatic but afebrile, Group 3: febrile but asymptomatic and Group 4: symptomatic and febrile. The primary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and mortality. The composite end-point included ICU admissions, mortality or any COVID-19 related end-organ involvement. Results There were differences in ferritin (P=0.003), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (P<0.001) and lymphopenia (P=0.033) across all groups, with the most favourable biochemical profile in Group 1, and the least in Group 4. Symptomatic groups (Groups 2 and 4) had higher ICU admissions (1.9% and 6.0%, respectively, P=0.003) than asymptomatic groups (Groups 1 and 3). Composite end-point was highest in Group 4 (24.0%), followed by Group 3 (8.6%), Group 2 (4.8%) and Group 1 (2.4%) (P<0.001). The presence of fever (OR 4.096, 95% CI 1.737–9.656, P=0.001) was associated with the composite end-point after adjusting for age, pulse rate, comorbidities, lymphocyte, ferritin and CRP. Presence of symptoms was not associated with the composite end-point. Discussion/Conclusion In this COVID-19 cohort, presence of fever was a predictor of adverse outcomes. This has implications on the management of febrile but asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.