Clinical features of COVID-19 in Ghana: symptomatology, illness severity and comorbid non-communicable diseases

Abstract

Objective: This analysis described the clinical features of COVID-19 in the early phase of the pandemic in Ghana.Methods: Data were extracted from two national COVID-19 treatment centers in Ghana for over 11 weeks(from March to May 2020). Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Modified Ordered Logistic and Negative Binomial Regression analysis were applied to establish factors associated with illness severity and Non-communicable Disease (NCDs) counts respectively. All analysis was conducted at the 95% confidence level (p-value ≤ 0.05) using Stata 16.Results: Among the 275 patients, the average age was 40.7±16.4, with a preponderance of males (54.5%). The three commonest symptoms presented were cough (21.3%), headache (15.7%), and sore throat (11.7%). Only 7.6% of the patients had a history of fever. Most patients were asymptomatic (51.65). Approximately 38.9% have an underlying co-morbid NCDs, with Hypertension (32.1%), Diabetes (9.9%), and Asthma (5.2%) being the three commonest. The odds of Moderate/severe (MoS) was significantly higher for those with unknown exposures to similar illness [aOR(95%CI) = 4.27(1.12-10.2)] compared with non-exposure to similar illness. An increased unit of NCD’s count significantly increased the odds of COVID-19 MoS illness by 26%[cOR(95%CI) =1.26(1.09-1.84)] and 67% (adjusting for age) [aOR(95%CI)=1.67(1.13-2.49)].Conclusion: The presence of cardiovascular co-morbidities dictated the frequency of reported symptoms and severity of COVID-19 infection in this sample of Ghanaians. Physicians should be aware of the presence of co-morbid NCDs and prepare to manage effectively among COVID-19 patients.

SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence and correlates of six ethnic groups living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands: a population-based cross-sectional study, June–October 2020

“…25 Further research is needed to clarify the role of symptom burden, earlier exposure to coronaviruses or differences in genetic vulnerability to symptoms in explaining the seemingly high proportion of asymptomatic cases in Ghanaians. [26][27][28][29] Alternatively, recall of symptoms, particularly mild symptoms, could have been lower in this group, which might be explained by lower levels of health literacy, knowledge of COVID-19 symptomatology and possibly education when compared with other groups. Furthermore, selfassessment of infection might have been under-reported during the face-to-face interview due to fear of stigmatisation or social desirability bias.…”

Utilization of complementary and alternative medicine for the prevention of COVID-19 infection in Ghana: A national cross-sectional online survey

“…Our findings also showed that common cold, asthma, and hypertension were common health conditions reported. It is known that whilst common cold/flu and fever may be experienced in the early stages of COVID-19, among other respiratory symptoms like cough and dyspnea ( Ahmad et al, 2021 ), asthma, diabetes, and hypertension may complicate the outcome of coronavirus infections ( Yawson et al, 2020 ).…”

Social Networks in Limbo. The Experiences of Older Adults During COVID-19 in Ghana

“…A preliminary study conducted on COVID-19 patients in Ghana showed that people with the most common underlying illnesses, such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease were diagnosed with COVID-19 ( 13 ). This places older adults, particularly those suffering from diabetes and hypertension, at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 ( 14 ), resulting in an increase in stress, depression, and isolation during the peak of COVID-19 ( 2 ).…”