According to new research by US scientists, chances are that patients of Coronavirus are likely to experience tummy ache before the flu-like symptoms set in.
This implies that the digestive system may respond to this ailment before the respiratory organs.
According to a publication of the American Journal of Gastroenterology; infected persons may have digestive concerns; such as diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain when the virus is active. Out of 204 patients with Covid-19 in Hubei province in China, 48.5 per cent of these patients arrived the hospital with these digestive symptoms.
Hence, researchers found that, the digestive symptoms may present itself earlier than the respiratory symptoms of the novel Coronavirus.
According to the study;
“Covid-19 patients with digestive symptoms have a worse clinical outcome and higher risk of mortality compared to those without digestive symptoms, emphasising the importance of including symptoms like diarrhoea to suspect Covid-19 early in the disease course before respiratory symptoms develop” Brennan M.R. Spiegel stated.
Irrespective of this new findings, one needs be cautious of the primary symptoms of COVID-19 which includes; dry cough, high temperature, sore throat. It is imperative to know that COVID-19 primarily targets the respiratory organs, the lungs.
The infection may also cause nasal congestion, running nose and aches but these are often mild and becomes pronounced with time.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), 1 out of 6 people infected with Covid-19 become seriously ill and prune to difficulty breathing.
The elderly and people with underlying medical conditions such as, high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are mostly at risk developing serious illness such as pneumonia and swelling of the lungs; both which can lead to failure of the of the body organ and may invariably cause death.
The virus is highly transmittable through droplets spread from coughing and touching or shaking hands. While sneezing is not an underlying symptom of COVID-19, however, droplets from this process may spread the disease.
New research has it that, the average incubation period of Covid-19 is 5.1 days. Therefore, Symptoms are expected in 2 to 11 days.
A study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US also found that 97.5 % of those who develop symptoms appeared to do so within 11.5 days of infection. While, there is little evidence to suggest that people can spread the virus without showing symptoms.
Kindly see also:
COVID-19 IRELAND: 126 NEW CASES, 3 DEAD AND 683 INFECTED PERSONS ALL TOGETHER
While in Lagos;
COVID-19 Nigeria: Federal Government Lockdown International Airports
