According to a nested case-control study in BMJ Open, symptom presentations of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients calling on medical helpline was found to vary with age. Loss of smell or taste was exclusively reported by patients aged less than 60 years, whereas appetite loss and feeling unwell were commonly reported by patients aged over 60 years. Amalie Lykkemark Moeller and researchers explored the age-linked differences in symptom presentations of patients who tested positive and negative for COVID-19 infection.

Medical helpline calls of 8423 patients were recorded who called for assistance/guidance at the medical helpline or emergency number before receiving a test for SARS-CoV-2. A random sampling of calls from 350 patients who later tested positive and 250 patients who tested negative along with registered symptoms was done. On the whole, 544 calls (312 SARS-CoV-2 positive; 232 negative) were included following the exclusions. Across all age groups, fever and cough were frequently observed symptoms.

About 42% of COVID-19 positive and 20% of COVID-19 negative individuals had both fever and cough. Nasal congestion, throat pain or irritation, muscle or joint pain, loss of taste (ageusia) and smell (anosmia), and headache were common in patients younger than 60 years; on the other hand, loss of appetite and feeling unwell were more common in patients over 60 years. The variations in symptom presentation across age groups can help improve telephone-based screening for COVID-19, the study researchers noted.