Autumn is cold and flu season.
Or is it Covid-19 after all?
A current study can help to differentiate corona from colds and flu-like infections.
Runny nose, cough, fever
: Which symptoms indicate a cold and which indicate a Covid-19 infection *?
There is uncertainty.
A new study from London
examined
patients who were infected with corona for the
most common symptoms
.
A symptom occurs particularly often and very likely indicates a
corona infection
.
Cough, runny nose, body aches: right now, in the typical
cold season
, many people are unsettled: Is it just a small cold, a flu or is it even a corona infection?
The
University College in London (UCL)
has published a study that can provide more clarity in the allocation of symptoms.
Accordingly, patients who have become infected with Covid-19 have certain
symptoms
, including one that is
particularly common
.
Also interesting:
if you notice this corona symptom, see a doctor immediately - fit, young people also affected.
Cold, flu or corona: You should pay particular attention to these symptoms
There are many different symptoms that corona patients can suffer from.
Unfortunately, many of them also appear in colds and flu-like infections, which makes it difficult to differentiate at first.
In the London study, the
symptoms of the
subjects infected
with Covid
-
19 were
broken down according to their frequency:
Chest pain
: 87.1 percent
Difficulty breathing
: 85.3 percent
Headache
: 84 percent
Muscle pain
: 83.5 percent
Sweats
: 67.2 percent
Abdominal pain
: 74.6 percent
Cough
: 72.7 percent
Fever
: 72.4 percent
Sore throat
: 69.6 percent
The problem: All of these symptoms could point to a
cold, flu and Covid-19 infection
.
But the more of these symptoms a patient has, the more likely it is a corona infection.
Read more:
Shortness of breath due to Corona long after the mild course of the disease - Doctors warn of “trivializing the pandemic”.
This unusual symptom is very likely to indicate Covid-19 infection
UCL researchers also noted that a symptom that
occurred
in
80.4 percent
of those infected is more uncommon for other illnesses such as the common cold and flu:
loss of smell and taste
.
Head of Studies
Rachel Batterham concludes that "loss of smell and taste is a very reliable indicator that someone is likely to have Covid-19."
Her recommendation: Governments around the world should consider this symptom as a criterion for self-isolation, testing, and identifying contacts to help contain the pandemic.
So if you soon no longer smell everyday smells and can no longer taste food, this could be a strong
indicator of a Covid-19 infection
.
Then you should definitely get tested.
(mad) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
Source: UCL
Also read:
Dangerous flu: How to protect yourself from the contagious infectious disease.
What really helps with colds
What really helps with colds
List of rubric lists: © Patrick Pleul / dpa
