New research that detects the likely sequence in which COVID-19 symptoms appear could help identify potential new cases more quickly, scientists say, especially in situations where people are unsure if they are actually infected. Effective trials of new cases of coronavirus have proved difficult during the growing pandemic, in part because many people infected with COVID-19 show only mild symptoms if no symptoms.
Researchers have known from the beginning of the outbreak what kind of signs of coronavirus there may be. For those who are not asymptomatic, this typically includes fever and high temperatures, nausea and vomiting, and other problems.
Still, similarities between COVID-19 symptoms, those of flu and colds, and other ailments such as food poisoning and even allergies have made early diagnosis more difficult. In situations where testing is available, it can leave potentially infected people coming into contact with others because they are seeking a diagnosis, or vice versa, making people unnecessarily socially distant from protocols. For those who go without a test, the need to be quarantined for at least 10 days if signs of COVID-19 are detected can be very disruptive.
A new study from the University of Southern California could help with that. A team from the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience’s Convergent Science Institute in Cancer has come up with a chronological list of how COVID-19 symptoms manifest. It explains the likely onset of signs of the virus.
“Knowledge of the sequence of COVID-19 symptoms can help patients seek immediate care or immediately decide to self-isolate,” points out USC. “It could also help doctors rule out other diseases or plan how they should treat patients.”
First, they found, comes short. That’s a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. It is followed by a cough and muscle aches. Next, comes nausea and / or vomiting. Finally, there is diarrhea.
The team relied on data from more than 55,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in China earlier this year, along with a second dataset of nearly 1,100 more cases from December 2019 and January 2020. It is particularly helpful to distinguish between COVID-19 and others respiratory diseases, such as Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
“The upper GI tract (i.e., nausea / vomiting) appears to be affected before the lower GI tract (i.e., diarrhea) in COVID-19,” say USC researchers, “which is the opposite of MERS and SARS. ”
The hope is that, by giving patients and healthcare providers a better idea of where to look, new cases of coronavirus infection can be identified more quickly, and treatment started sooner. Already, research into several treatments – including brakesivir – suggests that earlier application correlates with faster recovery, even a relatively short improvement in how quickly people get attention can lead to a significant change.
Meanwhile, as we approach the flu season closely, better distinction between the two diseases will be essential in efforts to minimize the impact of both.
