COVID-19 in the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) population. Prevalent symptoms

BackgroundThe disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, which appeared in early 2020 in Mexico, was the second leading cause of mortality in the country that year and has generated an increasing demand for medical care. By January 2022, 4.13 million cases and 300 thousand direct deaths have been documented. ObjectiveTo describe the main symptoms of people with a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 treated at the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) by sex, age group, and IMSS delegation. Methods4.5 million epidemiological reports were registered in the IMSS epidemiological surveillance system between February 2020 and November 2021. They were analyzed, reporting for those with either a positive PCR or rapid test, the prevalence of symptoms by sex, groups of age, and IMSS delegation. ResultsAmong the population treated at the IMSS, six symptoms are observed as the most prevalent in general, as well as by sex, age groups, and state of residence: cefalea, fever, cough, myalgia, odynophagia, and arthralgias. ConclusionsA better understanding of the clinical picture with which confirmed cases of COVID-19 present contributes to reporting timely diagnoses, considering the particularities by sex, age, and place of residence.