Understanding the clinical characteristics of COVID-19: a narrative review

Abstract

Objective: To know, through a review, the clinical characteristics of COVID-19, its relationship and risk of severity of patients with underlying diseases. Bibliographic Review: The epidemic that emerged in late 2019 in China has shown patterns of distribution that are repeated throughout the world. Its most serious presentation has been concentrated on extremes of age, especially in the elderly. The prevalence in males raises genetic and behavioral explanations. Asymptomatic infection remains a diagnostic challenge and the link is paramount in maintaining the epidemic. The clinical presentation commonly includes fever, cough, dyspnoea, fatigue or myalgia, and intestinal symptoms are less frequent. Complications such as respiratory failure, sepsis and septic shock have high mortality, especially in patients with comorbidities, such as: hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diseases of the respiratory system. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is triggered by the binding of the virus glycoprotein S to the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE2), abundant in the heart, in the epithelial cells of the lung, small intestine, kidneys and blood vessels, justifying its clinical presentation. Final Considerations: Little knowledge about COVID-19 is admitted, which makes the confrontation of the great pandemic reckless, requiring complementary and more assertive studies.