Now that we’re five months into the pandemic, the most common symptoms of coronavirus are fairly well known. But we also know that they differ greatly from patient to patient, which can make the virus difficult to diagnose. Now, new research from a team of scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) sheds some light on the telltale signs that you may have the coronavirus. Their research includes the specific sequence of symptoms in which the virus tends to present itself, including the most common first COVID symptom.
The researchers looked at 56,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in China, as well as 2,470 flu cases in North America, Europe and the Southern Hemisphere, to compare COVID-19 symptoms to flu and to determine the most common sequence.
Recognizing the sequence of symptoms of COVID-19 can help physicians diagnose the disease, plan treatment, and in some cases, lead to early intervention. “This sequence is especially important to know when we have overlapping cycles of diseases such as the flu that coincide with COVID-19 infections,” Peter Kuhn, MD, a USC professor of medicine, biomedical engineering, and aerospace and mechanical engineering who worked on the study, said in a statement. “Physicians can determine what steps to take to care for the patient, and they can prevent the patient’s condition from deteriorating.”
However, it is worth noting that many COVID-19 patients show zero symptoms, so even if you do not prove the telltale signs, you may still be positive for the virus.
That said, although the findings may not be true for all coronavirus patients, recognizing reliable COVID-19 patterns can be a tremendous help. “Given that there are now better approaches to COVID-19 treatments, patients can identify hospitalization time sooner,” doctorate Joseph Larsen, the lead author of the study, said in a statement. The following is the most common specific sequence of COVID symptoms, as determined by the USC researchers. And for more unique COVID-related effects that should be on your radar, check out 5 Strange New COVID Symptoms Reporting Doctors.
The researchers found that the first symptom of the coronavirus is often a fever. Net elk high temperature means that the patient has COVID-19, but this study found that the virus most likely shows up that way. This is consistent with previous research, namely April research published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which was briefly mentioned as a reliable symptom of the onset of coronavirus. And for more on the chance that you are sick, check if you have these 4 symptoms, chances are very high that you have COVID.
The coronavirus is a source of shortness of breath, and after the onset of a fever, a cough is probably your second symptom, the researchers concluded. The specific type of cough associated with COVID-19 is often described as “dry” and can also lead to shortness of breath. And for more on what this experience is like, check out If your shortness of breath is a Coronavirus symptom? Here’s how to know.
Not unlike impact, coronavirus causes muscle pain. The USC study found that pounds often appear as the third symptom, after fever and cough. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also added muscle aches and pains to its initial list of coronavirus symptoms in late April. And for the worst case scenario with COVID, checking 4 Coronavirus symptoms is most likely fatal.
The fourth symptom of COVID-19 to be seen is often stomach-related, in the form of nausea and / or vomiting. Not likely to have many shortness of breath, it has been discovered that the new coronavirus can also wreak havoc on your stomach. “The upper GI channel (i.e., nausea / vomiting) appears to be affected before the lower GI channel (ie, diarrhea) in COVID-19, which is the opposite of MERS and SARS,” the scientists note.
The researchers of the last symptom determined is the logical conclusion of the gastrointestinal problems presented by the preceding symptom: diarrhea. A March study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology that looked at the earliest COVID-19 cases during the first outbreak in Wuhan, China was one of the first to identify diarrhea as a COVID symptom. And for more common signs that you may have COVID, check out the 13 most common symptoms of Coronavirus.
