The symptoms of Covid-19 are always difficult to distinguish for many people, but some must seriously alert patients such as anosmia, digestive disorders and especially shortness of breath.
[Updatedon5[Misàjourle5 april 2020 at 2:17 p.m.]The coronavirus strikes the whole world, but the latter offers different symptoms from one person to another, which makes it different from a simple flu quite delicate. Beyond the cough, fever (which is not systematically present), two signals should alert: chest pain and breathing difficulties. However, many of us are considered asymptomatic. This form of coronavirus represents “30 to 60% of infected subjects”, according to the Pasteur Institute. In early March, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, had put forward a proportion of “80% of people who do not have or have few symptoms. As in France, the tests are still not systematic, difficult all the same know the exact proportion.
According to the WHO, the incubation time of the virus – that is to say the time between contamination and the first symptoms – varies between one and 14 days. In more rare cases, symptoms can appear overnight. The first signs of the virus are: fever, dry cough and fatigue. These symptoms, most often mild, appear gradually, sometimes by a mild cough, or by a simple headache. Some people with the virus even sometimes have zero symptoms. It is the asymptomatic form of this infectious disease.
One of the most common symptoms of Covid-19 disease is fever, like the flu. It is for this reason that the two diseases can be confused at first. The level of fever varies from one individual to another, but generally the coronavirus causes a fever of more than 38 °. If your only symptom is fever, do not call 15. If in doubt, stay home and call your doctor. Being feverish does not mean having contracted the coronavirus. If you want to fight fever or pain, prefer paracetamol to anti-inflammatory drugs and ibuprofen, which are suspected of worsening symptoms in case of coronavirus. If you have been in close contact with a sick person, take your temperature twice a day, and above all apply barrier gestures well (regular hand washing with soap and water, distance of one meter, etc.).
Covid + patients have a dry cough. Aurore Jégu-Pétrot, nurse, reported on BFMTV that this cough, if it becomes unmanageable, must alert: “When you see that you are coughing to choke on it you tell yourself that you are going to need respiratory aid”. However, in most cases, this cough goes away on its own. WHO advises calling your doctor if you have a dry cough.
As with the flu, a very common symptom of Covid-19 disease is muscle pain. If you have the feeling of body aches everywhere, it may be a sign that you have contracted the virus, or simply that you have the seasonal flu. If you are in this case, it is recommended to stay warm at home, take your temperature twice a day and once again apply the barrier gestures so as not to contaminate the people around you. Call your doctor, but don’t call it the 15th, unless you are at risk or if you have aggravating symptoms such as breathing difficulties.
The ENTs alerted the authorities in mid-March of the appearance of a new symptom: anosmia (loss of smell). “It seemed weird,” said Dr. Alain Corré, ENT specialist at the Rothschild Hospital-Foundation in Paris, AFP. With Dr Dominique Salmon of the Hôtel Dieu, they tested around sixty anosmic patients: 90% were positive.
These losses of smell would seem to be a pathognomonic symptom, id is a clinical sign which, by itself, allows to establish the diagnosis. This symptom is the only specific presentation of the new coronavirus. Dr. Corré theorized: “The SARS Cov-2 virus is attracted to the nerves: when it penetrates the nose, instead of attacking the mucosa like the usual rhinoviruses, it attacks the olfactory nerve and blocks the odor molecules. ” The doctor assured: “In the current context, if you have an anosmia without a stuffy nose, you are Covid positive, it is not worth going to get tested.”
Shortness of breath is another symptom of the coronavirus which can be a signal of worsening of the disease, which attacks the respiratory tract and can lead to severe pneumonia. Shortness of breath is not one of the early symptoms of Covid-19. This is a complication that occurs in some patients from the 7th day, with a renewed fever, sometimes after a slight improvement phase. Shortness of breath often happens suddenly and occurs at the slightest physical exertion, such as moving around or showing the stairs. To detect it if in doubt, measure your respiratory rate. Beyond 20 to 25 breaths per minute, it is a tachypnea (increased respiratory rate) and it may be advisable to consult a doctor if you have other symptoms.
A Chinese study, relayed this Thursday March 26 by the Dispatch, shows that patients with coronavirus can also be affected by digestive disorders. The study reports that out of 204 cases of Covid-19 tested, with an average age of 55, “almost half (48.5%) went to hospital for various digestive disorders such as than diarrhea (29.3%), vomiting (8%) or abdominal pain (4%) “. Even more surprising, a few patients (seven) had digestive problems … but no respiratory symptoms, which are the most common signs of the new coronavirus.
According to the WHO, the three main symptoms of coronavirus are therefore fever, fatigue and dry cough. In some people, other manifestations of the disease have been observed in addition to the three mentioned: nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and diarrhea. These symptoms are most often mild and appear gradually. Vomiting is not a symptom of the disease. You are asked to call your doctor in case of doubt. In 80% of cases, people recover without needing specific treatment.
The coronavirus infection is becoming worrisome as people “breathe faster than normal,” reported Dr. Pauti, who tells his patients to call 15 as soon as they notice shortness of breath. These brutal aggravations often occur between the seventh and the fourteenth day. They result in a form of bilateral pneumonia, with a very specific radiological aspect. “On CT, we can be almost certain” that it is the Covid-19, said Pauline, hospital doctor in the Paris region. She identified in most of the hospitalized patients “an incredible clinical tolerance: they do not suffocate at all while they have catastrophic parameters with gasometry (Editor’s note: measurement of the oxygen level in the blood).” Once in resuscitation, the respirator can allow you to pass the course, but the situation can deteriorate further, leading to death. This perplexed doctor explained: “The tragedy of this virus, she concludes, is that it strikes a naive population, 100% receptive.”
In babies and children, the symptoms of coronavirus are quite similar to those of mild flu. In most cases, the infection is mildly symptomatic. If young children and babies are less affected than adults by Covid-19, they can be infected, and therefore transmit the disease. Some may even have no symptoms, but may have contracted the virus and thus become contagious. It is therefore important that babies and children avoid contact with the elderly and people at risk in order to avoid any risk of contamination of these people.
The coronavirus affects more and more countries and more and more infected people are to be counted. The virus worries and it is important, as said throughout this article, to respect the measures put in place by the government: barrier gestures, exit restrictions and confinement. If in doubt, and if symptoms occur, do not panic, they are often mild. If you have any doubts or have a fever or dry cough, it is not necessarily necessary to call 15. A site, validated by the Ministry of Health has been put online to allow “s ‘Evaluate yourself’. On this site, a series of 24 questions will be asked with basic questions related to the symptoms but also on your medical history. Here is the link of the site which has already recorded more than 2 million visits: maladiecoronavirus.fr. Doctor Fabrice Denis, member of the Digital Alliance against Covid-19, however clarified that it was not a “diagnosis” but an “evaluation” since an algorithm then takes over. The latter being fed by available scientific data. If the results are not good, the site will advise you to contact immediately on the 15. Also know that the data collected will be made available to the Institut Pasteur, co-developer of the site with medical specialists and the AP-HP.
Coronavirus can cause different levels of sequelae. Xavier Lescure, professor and infectious disease specialist at Bichat hospital in Paris, explained on FranceInfo: “We don’t think there will be any after-effects for people who have had weak symptoms.”
On the other hand, in heavily affected patients, the consequences will be indelible. The lungs are the first organs affected. A 3D video (produced by researchers at the George Washington University Hospital in the United States) reveals that the lung tissue is very largely damaged in severely affected patients. Keith Mortman, head of the thoracic surgery department, theorized: “When this inflammation subsides, it leaves scars on the lungs and creates long-term damage. This can deteriorate a patient’s breathing capacity in the future.” Autopsies confirm that severely affected patients develop pulmonary fibrosis. Xavier Lescure explained: “We see that people who die have large lesions linked to pulmonary inflammation.”
Passages in intensive care can cause neurocognitive sequelae. Professor Jean-Michel Constantin, anesthesiologist-resuscitator at Pitié-Salpétrière in Paris, said on FranceInfo: “We observe very impressive neurocognitive sequelae following acute respiratory distress syndromes.” Some patients develop post-traumatic syndromes. Professor Jean-Michel Constantin, underlined: “all this is regressive but it takes time, years. And one does not recover in the same way at 20 years or at 80 years.”
Here are also some tips on the best way to act when in doubt:
- If you have general questions about the virus, you can call the toll free number 0.800.130.000 (toll free).
- If you have a fever, dry cough or body aches, you can call your doctor.
- In case of more serious symptoms, breathing difficulties or life-threatening emergency, do not go to the emergency room or your doctor, but contact 15 (or 114 for deaf or hard of hearing people). Stay at home and avoid direct contact with those around you.
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