Differential Clinical Diagnosis and Prevalence Rate of Allergic
Rhinitis, Asthma, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease among
COVID-19 Patients
Abstract
Background: There is a great need to make a rapid differential clinical
diagnosis of COVID-19 among respiratory disease patients and determining
the prevalence rate of these diseases among the COVID-19 population.
Method: Approximately 522 patients with allergic rhinitis, asthma, COPD,
and COVID-19 were analyzed for demographic and clinical features.
Radiological features were analyzed only for COVID-19 patients. Results:
COPD and asthma were more common among COVID-19 patients than allergic
rhinitis. All chest CT scans of COVID-19 patients showed bilateral
ground-glass opacity. Fever, dry cough, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell
and taste, shortness of breath, and blue lips were significantly higher
in all COVID-19 patients compared to COPD, asthma, and allergic rhinitis
patients. Conclusion: The presence of clinical symptoms such as fever,
dry cough, diarrhea, loss of sense of smell and taste, shortness of
breath, and blue lips in COVID-19 patients, can be used for differential
diagnosis between COVID-19 patients and other respiratory diseases.
Then, the diagnosis can be confirmed by chest CT scan for COVID-19
patients without the need for a nasopharyngeal swab or PCR test,
especially in epidemic countries. Allergic rhinitis patients are the
least exposed to COVID-19 infection among other respiratory disease
patients.