Search

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) is an infectious disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2., Objectives: Our aim was to present an epidemiological analysis of the first 2 months (March and April 2020) of the COVID‑19 epidemic in Poland., Patients and Methods: This analysis was based on data from epidemiological reports collected between March 4 and April 30, 2020, by the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate. These epidemiological reports include data on sociodemographic characteristics of new laboratory‑confirmed COVID 19 cases, the number of COVID‑19-related deaths, the number of recovered COVID-19 patients as well as the number of laboratory tests performed., Results: From March 4 to April 30, 2020, a total of 12 877 laboratory‑confirmed COVID 19 cases were registered in Poland (55.7% women; mean [SD] age, 50.6 [20.5] years). The RT‑ PCR test was performed in 338 000 patients. The notification rate for COVID‑19 was 33.2 per 100 000 inhabitants. One third of laboratory‑confirmed COVID 19 cases were among quarantined persons, 26.1% were related to the healthcare system (hospital or clinic), and 13.3% occurred in nursing homes. As of April 30, 2020, 644 COVID‑19-related deaths were registered in Poland (46.5% women). The death rate for the whole country was 1.7 per 100 000 inhabitants., Conclusions: Our data showed higher notification rate for COVID‑19 among women than men, but men were more likely to die from COVID‑19. The notification rate for COVID-19 in Poland among women aged 45 to 54 years was 2‑fold higher than among men.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) is a communicable disease caused by a novel coronavirus., Objectives: This study aimed to assess self‑reported frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms and olfactory or taste disorders in nonhospitalized patients with COVID‑19 in Poland., Patients and Methods: This cross‑sectional survey was conducted between April 17 and 18, 2020, in 4516 nonhospitalized patients with COVID‑19 in Poland. The questionnaire included 8 questions related to the health status, symptoms of COVID‑19, comorbidities, and smoking status., Results: Completed questionnaires were obtained from 1942 patients with COVID‑19 with a response rate of 43%. The median age of the respondents was 50 years; 60.2% were women. Among nonhospitalized patients with COVID‑19, 21.3% had hypertension, 4.5% had diabetes, and 3.1% had a chronic respiratory disease. Regular tobacco use was declared by 11.2% of patients with COVID‑19. At least one gastrointestinal symptom was reported by 53.6% of patients. Almost half of patients (47%) with COVID‑19 reported lack of appetite and 24.2% reported diarrhea. Among 1942 interviewed patients, 54.2% reported at least 1 olfactory or taste disorder and 42.5% reported both alterations. Self‑reported olfactory and taste disorders were 49.2% and 47.5%, respectively. Self‑reported frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms and olfactory or taste disorders during COVID‑19 was significantly higher (P <0.001) in women than men., Conclusions: This study demonstrated that olfactory and taste disorders are frequent symptoms in patients with mild‑to‑moderate COVID‑19. Moreover, our study indicated sex differences in the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms and olfactory or taste disorders among nonhospitalized patients with COVID‑19.