The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has stirred a strong vigilance for illness within ourselves. Throughout the month of March, some people have even started doing a new mental ‘check-in’ on their personal health. Daily, people across the United States are asking themselves, “Am I feeling weird? Becoming ill? Have any of the coronavirus symptoms?”
Normally, a small bout of congestion, a slight fever, or a scratchy throat would not be cause for concern amongst most of the population. However, under the shadow of coronavirus, there is worry and fear. Worry and fear from all of us that we either have, may spread, or harm another with the infection. Tracking how we feel physically seems more important than ever in preventing the transmission of this disease, and ‘flattening the curve’.
Known Coronavirus Symptoms
The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a comprehensive overview of coronavirus symptoms on their website. Healthy Holistic Living encourages you, if you have not already, to visit this site. The CDC is one of the foremost authorities in monitoring and making recommendations on coronavirus in the United States. You can trust the CDC as a reliable source of information!
Thus far, the most commonly cited symptoms of coronavirus include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Yet, the range of symptoms experienced by patients who have tested positive with the new infectious disease varies widely. (1) A sample of German citizens, impacted by the outbreak in China and tested in February, in fact, revealed some of the patients testing positive with coronavirus can be asymptomatic too. (2)
Unfortunately, it is not known why some patients experience severe respiratory illness and even death due to coronavirus. Authorities only recommend seeking medical help if your wellness sharply declines and you have a pre-existing health condition. Coronavirus symptoms that require prompt or emergency medical assistance include shortness of breath, trouble breathing, chest pain, bluish lips, new confusion, and a change in your level of consciousness. Of course, the CDC urges people with other severe or concerning symptoms to seek medical help, as we are still learning what this disease looks like clinically. (1)
Emerging Symptoms
A largely troubling aspect of the coronavirus is all the ‘unknowns’ we are currently facing. As a new virus, researchers are working overtime to find out what are the true ‘telltale’ signs of coronavirus. Some researchers are even trying to delineate possible stages of the illness. Definitive answers seem to remain elusive.
Although, a recent study from the American Journal of Gastroenterology points to a greater incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms than previously associated with the disease. The study, focusing on patients in China’s Hubei providence, revealed 48.5% of study participants initially presented with a gastrointestinal complaint (all participants were positive for the virus). These gastrointestinal complaints ranged from diarrhea to nausea to abdominal pain. Yet, it is worth noting that most of these patients with gastrointestinal effects also presented with some type of respiratory symptom too. Fever was especially common with diarrhea. (3)
What Could Diarrhea Mean For Me?
Some media outlets have extracted from this new study that gastrointestinal illness may be a sign of more severe infection. Fox News specifically suggested that this study’s participants had more pronounced gastrointestinal problems with worsening illness. Study researchers take a more cautious path in viewing the results. They warn that digestive illness can start in advance of respiratory symptoms and become more pronounced than respiratory symptoms during the course of the coronavirus disease. (3)
A study author wrote, “In the meantime, clinicians must bear in mind that digestive symptoms, such as diarrhea, may be a presenting feature of COVID-19 that arise before respiratory symptoms and, on rare occasions, are the only presenting symptom of COVID-19. Clinicians should raise their index of suspicion when at-risk patients, such as those exposed to COVID-19, present with fever and digestive symptoms, even in the absence of respiratory symptoms. This knowledge may help with earlier identification of COVID-19, faster time to treatment, earlier quarantine and lower exposure to bystanders.” (3)
These early days of coronavirus research seem to provide no concrete or fluxing recommendations for the public. Healthcare facilities and personal gestalt must be relied upon to guide the diagnosis of the emerging virus. Please continue to seek information from reputable sources as we navigate this chaotic time together. And trust your gut! If you have nausea, diarrhea, or abdominal pain, take these symptoms seriously and reduce your exposure to others immediately!
