Add Gastric Issues And The Loss Of Smell And Taste To List Of COV-19 Symptoms

We’ve all learned that the most common symptoms of those affected by the coronavirus COV-19 bug are the typical flu symptoms like a runny nose, sore throat, fever and a cough. The tell-tale sign is when patients start to experience difficulty with breathing.

It’s important to note that other frequently reported issues by those suffering by the COV-19 infection include gastric type problems; a loss of smell and taste; and that the median time of when an individual indicates having respiratory problems is 5 days after being infected. This means that someone who appears to initially to have only mild symptoms can’t be considered as a non-serious condition.

An illustration of the “R naught” estimates for various diseases, including COVID-19 and the flu.

Here’s the rest of the story…

Symptoms as per World Health Organization :

People may experience:

Runny nose
Sore throat
Cough
Fever
Difficulty breathing (severe cases)

“Consult a doctor for medical advice”

As per the updated 2/20/2020 New York Times report by Denise Grady, “New Report on 138 Coronavirus Cases Reveals Disturbing Details”

Excerpts:

“About 10 percent of the patients did not initially have the usual symptoms, cough and fever, but instead had diarrhea and nausea first. Other uncommon symptoms included headache, dizziness and abdominal pain.”

“Another cause for concern was that some patients who at first appeared mildly or moderately ill then took a turn for the worse several days or even a week into their illness. The median time from their first symptoms to when they became short of breath was 5 days; to hospitalization, 7 days; and to severe breathing trouble, eight days. Experts say that pattern means patients must be carefully monitored, and it is not safe to assume that someone who seems to be doing well early on is out of the woods.”

As per 3/20/2020 NY Daily News report by Jessica Shladebeck, “Early symptoms of coronavirus could include digestive issues like loss of appetite and upset stomach, study says”

Excerpts:

“An upset stomach could be an early indicator of the coronavirus.”

“Nearly half of the patients hospitalized in Wuhan and the wider Chinese province of Hubei, where the fast-spreading sickness was initially discovered, suffered from digestive issues, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.”

“Researchers analyzed data from 204 people diagnosed with COVID-19 who were admitted to 3 different hospitals in the region between Jan. 18 and Feb. 28. The average age was 55.”

“According to the report, 48.5% of those patients said their “chief complaint” was digestive problems, including upset stomach, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.”

As per a 3/23/2020 ABC report by Malcolm Ritter, “Loss of smell, taste, might signal pandemic virus infection” (“Doctors are reporting that people infected with the pandemic virus may lose their sense of smell and perhaps taste”)

“A loss of smell or taste might be an early sign of infection with the pandemic virus, say medical experts who cite reports from several countries.”

“It might even serve as a useful screening tool, they say.”

“The idea of a virus infection reducing sense of smell isn’t new. Respiratory viral infection is a common cause of loss of smell, because inflammation can interfere with airflow and the ability to detect odors. The sense of smell usually returns when the infection resolves, but in a small percentage of cases, smell loss can persist after other symptoms disappear. In some cases, it is permanent.”

Triangle graph of cases, from death to mild cases

“Now, there’s “good evidence” from South Korea, China and Italy for loss or impairment of smell in infected people, says a joint statement from the presidents of the British Rhinological Society and of ENT UK, a British group that represents ear, nose and throat doctors. In South Korea, some 30% of people who tested positive for the virus have cited loss of smell as their major complaint in otherwise mild cases, they wrote.”

“So that might be useful as a way to spot infected people without other symptoms — fever, coughing and shortness of breath — of the new coronavirus, they wrote.”

Coronavirus key symptoms: High temperature, cough, breathing difficulties

“A similar proposal was published Sunday by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. It noted “rapidly accumulating” anecdotal evidence from around the world that the pandemic virus can cause not only loss of smell but also a diminished sense of taste. So the appearance of those symptoms in people without another explanation should alert doctors to the possibility of a COVID-19 infection, the group said.”