Signs that you've already had the coronavirus

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

The more we learn about the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the more the list of symptoms indicating infection expands. Initially, everyone focused on the three main symptoms - cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Today we know that there are many more, and some of them are quite unusual.

Why it is important to know the symptoms of COVID-19

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Along with new information about the course of the disease, new symptoms appear, which can occur together with the main or individual symptoms.

Diarrhea and headaches are among the unusual symptoms of COVID-19. Many symptoms are also related to the nervous system: changes in smell and taste, nervousness and confusion. These symptoms can also be signs of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Common symptoms of COVID-19

On the WHO website, we can read that the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough and fatigue. Coronavirus infection is suspected when these symptoms are not chronic or associated with other illnesses.

Symptoms also include chills, shortness of breath or shortness of breath, muscle aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, stuffy nose, and runny nose.

There are many symptoms that are considered typical for COVID-19, but they do not have to occur at the same time. How often do they appear? Reliable information about symptoms can be found in a large US study of 1,000 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Researchers have also documented a high incidence of "unusual" non-airway symptoms. At the same time, about 10% of patients complained of headache. A complete list of symptoms can include rather exotic symptoms, unlike most known respiratory infections.

Less common symptoms of COVID-19

The World Health Organization also lists less common symptoms of COVID-19. Their full list is as follows:

• irritability;
• confusion of consciousness;
• decreased memory;
• anxiety;
• depressive conditions;
• sleep disturbance;
• more serious and rarer neurological complications include stroke, encephalitis, delirium, and nerve damage.

Why are there so many neurological symptoms? At first, it seemed that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was attacking the respiratory tract, but more and more studies show that it affects other organs and systems of our body.

According to research, as many as 65% of COVID-19 patients experience symptoms such as hallucinations, irritability, and confusion. Panic attacks can also occur in hospitalized patients. Hypoxia caused by the multiplication of the virus in lung cells can also lead to brain damage and, in extreme cases, stroke.

Scientists have also found that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus can multiply directly in brain cells, provoking inflammation that damages the organ.

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Unusual symptoms of COVID-19

In addition to the typical and less common, scientists also report unusual symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, which are not on the WHO lists. In a study by researchers at King's College London, it is said that many of its participants reported unusual skin rashes. There were a total of 336,000 respondents who took part in this test. In 8, 8% of them, a skin rash occurred simultaneously with the confirmed infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

In people with a negative result, this symptom occurred in 5.4% of cases. Another test was carried out, in which almost 12 thousand people took part. Participants with a skin rash and suspected Covid-19 in this group were about 17%. People who tested positive for COVID-19 reported that the rash was one of the first symptoms of the disease. For one in five people in this study, a rash with COVID-19 appeared to be the only sign of infection.

Another unusual symptom of coronavirus is conjunctivitis. Case series studies showed that nearly one third of patients with confirmed infection had clinical signs of conjunctivitis. The more severe the course of the disease, the more often this symptom occurred.

Many medical publications around the world have recognized that conjunctivitis can be used as a clinical indicator of the severity of pathology.

Another unusual symptom of COVID-19 observed by scientists is persistent hiccups. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine describes the case of a 62-year-old patient who was admitted to the emergency room with a fever. The man also had persistent hiccups that lasted 4 days. In the course of the study, it turned out that the patient has problems with lung function. It has been isolated and tested for COVID-19.

The doctors reported that a CT scan of the chest with contrast showed changes in the lungs. After testing and testing positive for COVID-19, the patient was given hydroxychloroquine, the hiccups disappeared and the man was discharged home three days later. Physicians emphasize the importance of careful patient interviews, physical examinations, and basic tests.

Why it is important to know the symptoms of COVID-19

It is important for any person today to know what are the signs that you have already had a coronavirus. Scientists in an article in the Journal of Medical Virology explain that extrapulmonary and atypical symptoms of COVID-19 may be the only ones that a patient presents.

If doctors do not recognize them or do it too late, it can lead to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. This is why it is so important to know the clinical symptoms of COVID-19. This allows early isolation of patients with suspected infection, which in turn will reduce the transmission of infection in a hospital setting.

In addition, knowledge of the unusual symptoms of coronavirus, such as conjunctivitis, has shown that the virus can spread not only through eye drops, but also through tears. In patients with this symptom, viral particles were excreted from tears. This shows again how important it is to use appropriate personal protective equipment for people who are in close contact with potentially infected people on a daily basis.

Outcomes

1. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus causes a disease known as COVID-19 in humans. The course of this disease is very diverse, and in most patients it is asymptomatic or with mild symptoms.
2. The most common symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are fever, cough - usually dry, which can then turn into productive cough, breathing problems, and shortness of breath of varying degrees.
3. SARS-CoV-2 infection is also characterized by the phenomenon of loss of taste and smell, which usually does not appear with the flu.