Introduction:

The coronavirus, the cause of the COVID-19 disease, continues to pose unknowns, many of them related to its symptoms and their durability according to the clinical characteristics of each patient.

Objective:

To characterize and the permanence of signs and symptoms in positive and negative COVID-19 patients who attend the Pneumology Clinic of the General Hospital of Luque, Paraguay during 2020.

Methodology:

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study with an analytical component. The data were analyzed according to two groups: a) COVID-19 (+) patients: those with diagnostic confirmation by RT-PCR or in whom high levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were verified and b) COVID-19 patients (-) those who did not show RNA in RT-PCR and did not develop antibodies.

Results:

145 patients were included in the study. The interval between the onset of symptoms and the date of the interview was 44.8 days on average (range 15-186 days), 92% had symptoms for 21 days or more, 85.9% for 30 days or more, and 23% at 60 days or more. The persistent symptoms referred to were: fatigue (42%), anosmia and / or dysgeusia (13.3%), cough (12%), headache (9.5%), palpitations (7%), sleep disorders (6%) ), dyspnea (5%), occasional dizziness (5%), poor concentration (8%), memory disorders (3%), myalgia (3%), postural dizziness (3%), arthralgia (2% ), tingling (2%), back pain (2%) and chest tightness (1%).

Conclusion:

The most persistent symptoms found in the study were fatigue, anosmia and / or dysgeusia, cough, headache, palpitations, sleep disorders, dyspnea and occasional dizziness.

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