From Good Housekeeping
If you’ve had a “bad cold” this winter or have recently had a cough that won’t go away, it’s natural to wonder if you would have had a Covid-19 without realizing it. It is especially true now that infectious disease experts say that cities are starting to lock down and that the virus had already spread before social distance arrangements were made.
“As the week progresses, it becomes clear that this is a virus that is spreading in our country, especially in more populated areas, than we thought it would,” says William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at Vanderilt University School. Medicine.
So, could you have gotten COVID-19 without understanding it? It is possible. Amesh A., a senior infectious disease specialist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “Most people with coronavirus have an unlikely case of infection, and it can be isolated from the common cold or influenza,” Adalaja said. Also, some people have no symptoms, up to 40% of infections – according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Unfortunately, there is no way to know with 100% certainty if the disease you encountered last winter was Covid-19 or if you have ever had an asymptomatic case. But experts say some signals may be tip-beefs that you may already have COVID-19. Here are the top points to learn, plus what it means for immunity.
1. You had a “bad cold.”
At the onset of the epidemic, people believed that COVID-19 would be available in the U.S. by February and the end of March. Does not rotate in New research from the University of Texas suggests otherwise. For the study, scientists analyzed suspected sore throats in cases of flu in people taken in the winter. These swabs were performed in Wuhan, China (where the novel coronavirus originated) and Seattle, Washington (where the first case of COVID-19 in UV was confirmed).
The researchers found that in every two cases of the flu, there was one case of COVID-19. As a result, they believe that COVID-19 will likely hit U.S. markets around Christmas.
“It took a long time to get to the countryside, so if you were on the farm this winter and you smelled it, you probably had a cold. If you were in New York City or any other big city, you would have a covid infection and would never know it, “says Dr. Schaffner.
It is difficult to differentiate a mild form of Covid-1 from a cold without testing, depending on what symptoms you experience, but a cold can usually cause shortness of breath, severe headaches or gastrointestinal symptoms such as Covid-19. Here is a complete list of CDC’s official features:
2. You have lost your sense of smell or taste at one point.
Loss of smell and taste is a major hallmark of COVID-19. This feature is not seen for everyone, however. Adalaja points out that it is now strongly associated with the novel coronavirus.
Preliminary data from the American Academy of Tolerology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HSS) found that 27% of Covid-19 patients who lost their sense of smell had a “slight improvement” within about seven days, while the majority within Was better. 10 days.
Note: It is also possible to temporarily lose this sensation due to seasonal allergies such as colds, flu, sinus infections and other respiratory conditions. But experts say the symptom can be delayed in some people and lasts for months after recovering from Covid-19.
You. You are dealing with unexplained hair loss.
This has not been extensively studied in the context of COVID-19, but many people who have recovered from the virus are reporting hair loss issues. Actress Alyssa Milano, who has been suffering from COVID-19 symptoms for months, repeatedly shared a video of herself in Instagram in early August after she showered a large bunch of hair.
Members of Survivor Corps, a Facebook support group for people with COVID-19, have also talked about experiencing months of hair loss after recovering from the virus. It is caused by a condition called telogen effluvium, and can be caused by many factors, including pregnancy, extreme stress, weight loss, and diseases other than COVID-19, said Dr. Says Adalaja.
D unlikely. Adalaja says that without other Covid-19 symptoms like cough or fever, you will lose more hair than usual. It is also important to note that stress usually causes hair loss, and it has happened A lot Stress due to epidemic. If you are experiencing hair loss, it is possible that it is due to some unknown covid infection, indefinite period of stress formation or other underlying problem.
You. You will breathe sometimes.
Research published in the journal Jama It has been found that people with COVID-19 may experience side effects of the virus, including shortness of breath. It is unclear why this is at this time or how long this can last, but it is due to the permanent inflammation in the lungs.
“This is a well-known delayed effect in people diagnosed with Covid-19,” says Dr. Schaffner. “If you have this, then probably the disease you experienced before was really cowardly.” If you are experiencing shortness of breath, call your primary care physician for guidance or ask for a referral to a pulmonologist. They can often prescribe medications and treatments, such as inhalers, which can help, says Dr. Schaffner.
5. You have a cough that will not go away.
Delayed cough is another symptom that people participated in Jama Study report. The phlegm often dries out, meaning nothing comes out, such as phlegm or saliva, says Dr. Adalaja. This is fairly common: CDC data showed that 43% of people with Covid-19 still had a cough 14 to 21 days after testing positive for the virus.
6. You really are, Really Tired.
Accordingly, this is the biggest delayed effect after covid-19 occurs in a person Jama Study. That study found that 53% of patients said they were struggling with fatigue 60 days after they first showed signs of the virus.
Dr. “We’re seeing some people who had a mild illness who have been tired for some time,” says Adalaja. But, he says, it is not yet clear why this is happening. It could be the way a person’s immune system reacts to a virus, or it could be the way the virus works in the body.
Keep in mind that fatigue is indeed a common problem and can be a sign of many different health problems (including, of course, not getting enough sleep). People who are tired of COVID-19, like hair loss, may have seen other symptoms of the virus in the past, said Dr. Says Adalaja.
7. You have unusual symptoms that seem to last forever.
Experts emphasize that COVID-19 is still a new virus, so doctors and scientists are always learning more about this. D Ad. Research into the permanent effects of the virus is ongoing, Adalaja says, and doctors are finding it difficult at this time to say that having certain symptoms means you have a Covid-19 infection, while others do not.
It is worth mentioning that some people have experienced heart problems after contracting the virus. A small study of 100 people recovered from the published COVID-19 JAMA Cardiology MRIs are performed on ex-patients and it has been found that 78% have some kind of abnormal heart detection, which is not independent of any of the existing conditions. Researchers have found that this does not seem to be linked to the severity of the disease. Dr. Schaffner says that it can show in many different ways, such as a heartbeat.
Of course, there are many other pitfalls that experts are not yet aware of. If you are feeling healthy and your symptoms are persistent, Dr. Schaffner says it is a good idea to get checked by your doctor, whether you think it is related to COVID-19 or not.
What about antibody tests?
While antibody testing can tell you if you have Covid-19, they are not exactly known for their accuracy. “Antibody tests are getting better, but there are many antibody tests that are still unreliable,” says Dr. Schaffner. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized emergency use for these tests in the spring, but later “significant clinical performance problems.” Removed some tests due to.
The CDC also emphasizes that antibody tests “are not 100% accurate and may result in some false positive results or false negative results.” So it is possible to test positive for COVID-19 antibodies, but not really.
This comes down to various factors. First, there are other coronaviruses known to cause the common cold, and it can scroll through the results of your antibody test. Furthermore, if you are only in the first days of infection, the antibodies may not be detected exactly because your immune system has not yet responded. (Learn more about COVID-19 antibodies here.)
Does having Covid-19 in the past mean you won’t get infected again?
While the above signs may be an indication that you have Covid-19, it can also be caused by other illnesses. Dr. Cer. “Cough and fatigue are definitely known to be the result of influenza, because you don’t have to have Covid-19,” says Schaffner.
After all, it is difficult to test positive for Covid-1 when you are sick, and it is difficult to know for sure if you have the virus. However, “there are definitely people who were infected and they didn’t pay attention,” said Dr. Says Adalaja.
With all of that in mind, there’s one important thing to remember: even if you’ve had Covid-19 in the past, that doesn’t mean you won’t get infected again. The CDC specifically said it was unclear at this time if people could be re-infected with the virus – and the first case of re-infection has been confirmed in Hong Kong.
So, even if you suspect that you contracted COVID-19 before the epidemic really hit, wear a mask, wash your hands regularly, and practice social distance when you can, such as to protect yourself and others. , It is important to continue to study prevention methods.
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