PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Bangladesh has experienced a sharp rise in cases during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates chest computed tomography (CT) and clinical findings of COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh. It is a single-centred cross-sectional study conducted at Chittagong Ma O Shishu Hospital. In total, 242 COVID-19 patients were recruited between June 2020 and July 2021 from a tertiary hospital in Chittagong, Bangladesh—most patients had a fever (90%) and cough (74.7%). Only a few patients had dyspnoea (13.3%), body aches (3.6%), sore throat (0.4%), fatigue (0.8%), diarrhoea (1.2%), headache (2%), and anosmia (2%). Most (91.3%) patients had abnormal CT image findings. Findings revealed that 89.6% had bilateral lung patchy opacities, 84.3% had ground glass opacities and crazy paving appearance, 29.3% had consolidation, and 16.9% had traction bronchiectasis. Clinical features, i.e., fever (93.7%) and cough (78.3%), were significantly more common (P<0.05) among those with positive radiological findings compared to those with negative radiological findings. However, this found that patients with negative radiological findings were more likely to have body aches (4.8%) than those with positive radiological findings (P=0.012). Most patients had lung involvement. There was no statistically significant difference in the demographic and patient comorbidities between these two radiological groups. A Chest CT scan was the best radiological option for detecting the progression of COVID-19 in high-risk and low-risk groups to initiate early clinical management and prevent complications during the pandemic.

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