LAUSR

BACKGROUND COVID-19 has reached more than 20 million people since its appearance in December 2019. As a result of the infection process by the Sars-CoV-2 virus, patients manifest initial symptoms easily mistaken for common flu. However, in a small group of the population, the condition may progress to pneumonia or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to carry out an integrative review on laboratory and imaging diagnostics for COVID-19, in the period from 2019 to 2021. METHOD Electronic databases PubMed, Google Scholar, SciELO, Virtual Library, LILACS, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect and the official website of the World Health Organization were used. RESULTS RT-qPCR identifies fragments of viral RNA in the initial stage of the disease since the genes E and RdRp are the most used, given the great sensitivity. Imaging and serological methods can be used as complementary exams. The main radiographic findings are reticular and ground-glass opacity patterns, reversed halo sign, mosaic attenuation, and consolidations. The antibody levels are detected after the seventh day of symptom onset. CONCLUSION Caution should be exercised when interpreting the results for the diagnosis of COVID-19, since the onset of clinical symptoms and laboratory and imaging tests must be taken into account.