Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Winkler, P.
The incidence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst children and adolescents in a primary care setting using rapid antigen tests in comparison to a tertiary health care centre between November 1st, 2020, and February 28th, 2021, in Graz, Austria
Humanmedizin; [ Diplomarbeit ] Medizinische Universität Graz; 2023. pp. 69
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Fritsch Maria
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- Abstract:
- Background Since October 2020, rapid antigen-based tests for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections were established in the primary care setting due to better availability and practicability. The aim of the present study is to compare data from primary health care with a tertiary health care centre. Patients and Methods In case of suspicion of a SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents, a SARS-CoV-2 antigen test was performed with a nasopharyngeal specimen at the primary health care centre. In case of a positive antigen test, the result was verified with a PCR test. At the tertiary centre, PCR testing was performed during the same period. The frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infections was collected by retrospective data analysis of the recorded cases between 01.11.2020 and 28.02.2021 in both medical health care centres. Results During the period studied, 412 symptomatic patients in the primary health care centre were tested with a rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen-based test. In the tertiary health care centre, 1,454 patients with symptoms were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR during the same period. The positivity rate in the primary care centre was 2.2% (9 tests were positive); subsequent PCR tests showed CT values below 33. The tertiary health care centre tested 5.4% of the cases positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the same period, representing a statistically significant difference in positivity rate (p=.01) between the medical centres. In the tertiary health care centre, fever, cough, rhinitis, and ageusia/anosmia were significantly more common in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients than in negatively tested patients (p<0.05). Conclusion From an outpatient paediatric point of view, SARS-CoV-2 infections in children and adolescents were rare overall in the period studied and had milder courses than in adults. In comparison, a lower positivity rate is found in the primary health care centre. On the one hand this could be explained by the lower sensitivity of the antigen-based tests used compared to the PCR tests. On the other hand the fact that patients with pronounced symptoms or the concrete suspicion of a SARS-CoV-2 infection could have preferred to directly go to the tertiary health care centre.