What are some of the unusual symptoms of COVID-19?
Answer From Daniel C. DeSimone, M.D.
Symptoms of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus disease 2019, can vary widely. And over time, how often people have a COVID-19 symptom may change. Symptoms may depend on how the virus that causes COVID-19 changes, and on the people the virus infects.
Many people with COVID-19 have no symptoms or mild illness. Of people who report symptoms, more than half have a stuffy or runny nose, headache, sore throat and cough.
Some people have a feeling of tightness in their chest, or trouble catching their breath.
Other typical symptoms are:
- Chills or fever.
- Body aches.
- New confusion, especially in adults age 65 years or older.
- Loss of ability to smell, or a lasting bad smell.
- Chest pain.
- Being very tired.
Some people with COVID-19 report feeling sick to the stomach, vomiting or having loose stools, called diarrhea. Another symptom reported is pain in the belly. With the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, these digestive symptoms are more common than with earlier waves of the virus.
Less often, people with COVID-19 reported a loss of taste or a bad taste in the mouth.
People also may have problems sleeping, a change in their voice, dizziness or sore eyes.
Skin changes
Some people report skin changes linked to COVID-19. These may be rashes or discolored and swollen areas. Often rashes most often appear on arms, legs or on the center part of the body, called the trunk. They may show up during COVID-19 symptoms or up to a month later.
These may be large, flat blotches, or itchy, raised spots or welts called hives. Some people may have small round fluid-filled bubbles across the skin. The rash also may be a lacy darkening of skin.
And others, usually teens or young adults, could have swelling and darkening of skin on the fingers or toes. This may be called "COVID toes."
But some people who have this symptom in their fingers or toes don't test positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. Researchers are still examining the cause for this skin disorder.
With
Daniel C. DeSimone, M.D.
Show References
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- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/coronavirus-disease-(covid-19). Accessed May 20, 2024.
- Zazzara MB, et al. A pandemic of delirium: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of occurrence of delirium in older adults with COVID-19. European Geriatric Medicine. 2024; doi:10.1007/s41999-023-00906-7.
- Martora F, et al. COVID-19 and cutaneous manifestations: A review of the published literature. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2023; doi:10.1111/jocd.15477.
- Symptoms of COVID-19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html. Accessed May 21, 2024.
Original article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/coronavirus-unusual-symptoms/faq-20487367