Symptoms of Covid-19 vary enormously. Initially thought to be simply a respiratory disease, it is now known to be able to affect all body systems, and age, gender, ethnic background and existing medical conditions will all affect how an individual is affected. A team from the Covid Symptom Study have now split the disease into six types.
Symptoms tend to appear between two and 14 days after infection.
1. Flu-like symptoms but no fever. Headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat and aches and pains, but no fever. Around 1.5% of this group go on to require breathing support in hospital.
2. Flu-like symptoms with fever. Similar to group 1, plus a loss of appetite and fever.
3. Gastrointestinal. Diarrhoea alongside loss of smell and appetite, headache, sore throat and chest pain. Typically, no cough.
4. Fatigue. This cluster is considered more severe than the previous three, as 8.6% require breathing support. Fatigue accompanies headache, loss of smell, cough, chest pain and fever.
5. Confusion. Another severe category. People experience confusion in addition to symptoms listed in cluster 4. Around 10% will require breathing support.
6. Abdominal and respiratory. The most severe cluster, since almost half will require hospitalisation, and around a fifth will need breathing support. Symptoms include headache, fever, loss of smell and appetite, cough, sore throat and chest pain, along with shortness of breath, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, muscle pain, confusion and fatigue.
Some people contract Covid-19 but either show no symptoms, or very mild symptoms that cause no real problems.
Children and Teens
Children seem to be affected differently to adults. A study at Queen's University Belfast suggests that the most predictive symptom is diarrhoea and vomiting, along with other of the possible symptoms. The current UK testing strategy would have missed 24% of symptomatic children, but including diarrhoea and vomiting would mean that 97% would have been detected.
The virus binds to ACE2 receptors. It is thought that children may express fewer of these receptors in the nose and throat.
Teenagers are more likely to report loss of taste and smell. Research currently suggests that symptoms for teenagers are closer to adult symptoms, though mostly are mild.
Source: Article Covid-19 symptoms rethink in New Scientist, 10 Oct. 2020.
