
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Coronavirus history and symptoms
Introduction
Overview
Overview
The history of coronavirus infection includes exposure to an infected animal or human. Patients report flu like symptoms in the initial stages. Infected people can also report upper respiratory symptoms. Common symptoms of coronavirus infection include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The incubation period can vary depending on the infection. The mean incubation period for SARS-CoV-2 has been set to be 5.2 days.
History and Symptoms
History and Symptoms
History
- The history of coronavirus infection includes exposure to an infected animal or human.
- Patients report flu like symptoms in the initial stages.
- Infected people can also report upper respiratory symptoms.
- The most important part of taking history is establishing patient exposure to the source of the infection.
Common Symptoms
Common symptoms of coronavirus infection include:
Less Common Symptoms
- Diarrhea[2][3]
- Hemoptysis[2]
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headache[4]
- Feeling of discomfort
- Confusion[5]
- Sore throat
- Rhinorrhea
- Chest pain
Incubation Period
- The incubation period can vary depending on the infection.
- The incubation periods for coronavirus infections are given below:
SARS
- The symptoms (cough) of SARS start to appear after 2 – 7 days.[6]
- The incubation period ranges from 12 to 18 days.[7]
MERS
- The symptoms of MERS start to appear approximately 5 or 6 days after exposure to the source of infection.[8]
- The incubation period can range from 2 – 14 days.
COVID-19
- The mean incubation period of COVID-19 has been set to be 5.2 days.[9]
References
References
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/about/symptoms.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huang, Chaolin; Wang, Yeming; Li, Xingwang; Ren, Lili; Zhao, Jianping; Hu, Yi; Zhang, Li; Fan, Guohui; Xu, Jiuyang; Gu, Xiaoying; Cheng, Zhenshun; Yu, Ting; Xia, Jiaan; Wei, Yuan; Wu, Wenjuan; Xie, Xuelei; Yin, Wen; Li, Hui; Liu, Min; Xiao, Yan; Gao, Hong; Guo, Li; Xie, Jungang; Wang, Guangfa; Jiang, Rongmeng; Gao, Zhancheng; Jin, Qi; Wang, Jianwei; Cao, Bin (2020). “Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China”. The Lancet. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5. ISSN 0140-6736.
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/about/symptoms.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/sars/about/index.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, Zhang L, Fan G, Xu J, Gu X, Cheng Z, Yu T, Xia J, Wei Y, Wu W, Xie X, Yin W, Li H, Liu M, Xiao Y, Gao H, Guo L, Xie J, Wang G, Jiang R, Gao Z, Jin Q, Wang J, Cao B (January 2020). “Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China”. Lancet. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5. PMID 31986264.
- ↑ (PDF) https://www.cdc.gov/sars/about/fs-SARS.pdf. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Wong TW, Tam W (August 2004). “Estimating SARS incubation period”. Emerging Infect. Dis. 10 (8): 1503–4, author reply 1504. doi:10.3201/eid1008.040284. PMC 3320416. PMID 15503397.
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/about/symptoms.html. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Li, Qun; Guan, Xuhua; Wu, Peng; Wang, Xiaoye; Zhou, Lei; Tong, Yeqing; Ren, Ruiqi; Leung, Kathy S.M.; Lau, Eric H.Y.; Wong, Jessica Y.; Xing, Xuesen; Xiang, Nijuan; Wu, Yang; Li, Chao; Chen, Qi; Li, Dan; Liu, Tian; Zhao, Jing; Liu, Man; Tu, Wenxiao; Chen, Chuding; Jin, Lianmei; Yang, Rui; Wang, Qi; Zhou, Suhua; Wang, Rui; Liu, Hui; Luo, Yinbo; Liu, Yuan; Shao, Ge; Li, Huan; Tao, Zhongfa; Yang, Yang; Deng, Zhiqiang; Liu, Boxi; Ma, Zhitao; Zhang, Yanping; Shi, Guoqing; Lam, Tommy T.Y.; Wu, Joseph T.; Gao, George F.; Cowling, Benjamin J.; Yang, Bo; Leung, Gabriel M.; Feng, Zijian (2020). “Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia”. New England Journal of Medicine. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2001316. ISSN 0028-4793.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sabawoon Mirwais, M.B.B.S, M.D.[2]
