Coronavirus Update: Study Pinpoints Likely Order Of COVID-19 Symptoms

Some people with COVID-19 might have symptoms such as fever, cough and body aches that are similar to that of allergies or a flu, while others could face rashes, loss of smell, taste, etc. Now, a new study has revealed the potential order and progress of COVID-19 symptoms patients are likely to experience, which might help doctors diagnose the disease quickly.

With several new symptoms being announced time and again by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health agencies, many are anxious to know the initial signs of the disease.

According to the study "Modeling the Onset of Symptoms of COVID-19" the earliest symptom of coronavirus infection is a fever, followed by cough and body or muscle pain. University of Southern California researchers published their study and findings Thursday, Aug. 13, in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

Researchers explained after fever, coughing and muscle pain, infected patients are likely to experience vomiting or nausea and diarrhea. Their findings are regarded to be a major discovery in the study of the coronavirus infection since both doctors and patients will now be able to rapidly identify and treat the illness.

Peter Kuhn, the University of Southern California biological sciences and medicine professor and co-author of the study, in a statement said the order of the symptoms is vital particularly when illnesses like flu, which is common during this season, overlap with the indicators of COVID-19 infection.

"Doctors can determine what steps to take to care for the patient, and they may prevent the patient's condition from worsening," Dr. Kuhn said. Making an accurate diagnosis at an early time is crucial to stopping the virus in its tracks before the patient's condition turns worse.

Joseph Larsen, a doctoral candidate, and the study's lead researcher, said there are better treatment methods for COVID-19 as compared to several months ago. He said identifying what ails the patient early may reduce the time they need to spend in a hospital.

"The order of the symptoms matter. Knowing that each illness progresses differently means that doctors can identify sooner whether someone likely has COVID-19, or another illness, which can help them make better treatment decisions," Larsen said.

The early symptoms of COVID-19 bear similarities to many other respiratory conditions like MERS and SARS. However, the onset of gastrointestinal problems makes coronavirus infection easier to identify. Researchers said in the case of coronavirus infection, the first to be affected is the upper gastrointestinal tract, making patients feel nauseous and vomit, followed by the lower gastrointestinal tract tract, which causes people to suffer diarrhea. This is the exact opposite of what occurs in MERS and SARS, the researchers wrote in their study.

The scientists conducted the study at the Convergent Science Institute in Cancer at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience. They examined data gathered by the World Health Organization from over 55,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in China from Feb. 16 to 24.

They also analyzed data from some 1,100 cases recorded between Dec. 11, 2019, and Jan. 29, 2020, by the China Medical Treatment Expert Group through the National Health Commission of China. Researchers then compared the figures to flu symptom data of 2,470 cases that health officials reported having occurred in Europe, North America, and the Southern Hemisphere from 1994 to 1998.