tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Am Coll Health
. 2021 Jun 16;1-5.
doi: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1926270. Online ahead of print.
COVID-19 prevalence and presenting symptoms in a college student population: A retrospective chart review
Joshua Altman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Cheree Padilla[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Asim Merchant[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kirsty Freshwater[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sarah Weinsztok[SUP] 4 [/SUP], James R Clugston[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Karen Fournier[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Katherine M Edenfield[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
To describe the clinical presentation and prevalence of COVID-19 in a collegiate population at the time of initial recognition and testing. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of all students tested for COVID-19 at the University of Florida Student Health Care Center between March 9[SUP]th[/SUP] and April 17[SUP]th[/SUP], 2020, comprising the first 6 weeks after spring break. Results: Twenty-five of 296 students (8.4%) tested positive for COVID-19. No significant differences were seen between positive and negative students regarding travel history or known exposures. Students who tested positive more commonly experienced fatigue, congestion, nausea, chest pain, anosmia, ageusia, anorexia, abdominal discomfort, and new problems sleeping over the course of illness. Conclusion: Initial symptoms unreliably clinically distinguish COVID-19 from other viral illnesses amongst college students. Providers should continue to have a low threshold for testing, especially as universities have seen large surges in cases related to students returning to campus.
Keywords: COVID-19; Collegiate population; coronavirus; presenting symptoms; students.
. 2021 Jun 16;1-5.
doi: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1926270. Online ahead of print.
COVID-19 prevalence and presenting symptoms in a college student population: A retrospective chart review
Joshua Altman[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Cheree Padilla[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Asim Merchant[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kirsty Freshwater[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sarah Weinsztok[SUP] 4 [/SUP], James R Clugston[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Karen Fournier[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Katherine M Edenfield[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34133912
- DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1926270
Abstract
To describe the clinical presentation and prevalence of COVID-19 in a collegiate population at the time of initial recognition and testing. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of all students tested for COVID-19 at the University of Florida Student Health Care Center between March 9[SUP]th[/SUP] and April 17[SUP]th[/SUP], 2020, comprising the first 6 weeks after spring break. Results: Twenty-five of 296 students (8.4%) tested positive for COVID-19. No significant differences were seen between positive and negative students regarding travel history or known exposures. Students who tested positive more commonly experienced fatigue, congestion, nausea, chest pain, anosmia, ageusia, anorexia, abdominal discomfort, and new problems sleeping over the course of illness. Conclusion: Initial symptoms unreliably clinically distinguish COVID-19 from other viral illnesses amongst college students. Providers should continue to have a low threshold for testing, especially as universities have seen large surges in cases related to students returning to campus.
Keywords: COVID-19; Collegiate population; coronavirus; presenting symptoms; students.