Doctors believe that dry mouth, loss of appetite, diarhhea and gastrointestinal problems are normal in cases of infections and fever.
These reports cited data recorded by “ZOE Health Study”, a health research project of a British company, as their source of information.
But how true is that? And is it a new symptom that people must watch out for?
Are dry mouth, skipping meals, and diarrhoea also COVID-19 symptoms?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed aches and pains and diarrhoea as “less common symptoms”. However, doctors believe that dry mouth, loss of appetite, diarrhoea and gastrointestinal problems are normal in cases of infections and fever and therefore witnessed among people infected with COVID-19, also a viral disease.
Loss of appetite and dryness in the mouth
The same report notes that “a loss of appetite is a normal part of being unwell”. Dr Dubey also clarified that people with viral infections often lose their appetite and don’t want to eat much.
On “dry mouth” as a symptom of COVID-19, another doctor, Santosh K Jha, said, said it is normal in those suffering from fever.
Diarrhoea and gastrointestinal problems
Dr Santosh K Jha said 30 percent of people witness episodes of diarrhoea, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal problems.
Why are these symptoms being reported now?
When the COVID pandemic first hit the world, symptoms such as loss of smell and taste, breathlessness, fever, soar throat, runny nose, cough, headache, fatigue and muscle aches were reported to be the signs of COVID-19. Among these, loss of smell and taste and shortness of breath were sure-shot symptoms of COVID-19. This was when Alpha and Delta variants were in circulation.
But as the virus mutated and new variants emerged, there were changes in symptoms as well. “If there’s a minor change in symptom, it means there has been a massive shift in the virus,” an expert told CNBTV-18 earlier. Symptoms can also vary depending on vaccination status
When Omicron became the dominating variant in India, people showed mild symptoms of COVID-19 and later, most cases in the country were reported to be asymptomatic — people didn’t have symptoms at all. Now, the symptoms of the common cold, soar throat, and fever are more than common ever. They also show signs of common flu. Even breathlessness is associated with many respiratory diseases.
So how can one distinguish between common flu and COVID-19?
There are three ways to find out this:
First, note that there are a few symptoms which are exclusive to COVID-19. This includes loss of smell and taste. Moreover, the drop in oxygen level is “more common” COVID-pneumonia, Jha says.
Second, COVID-19 symptoms do not show regression in one-three days. It takes five-seven days for the signs to go away — unlike in the common flu when the fever comes in a day or two and regresses eventually.
The third is the RT-PCR or any other COVID-19 test. Since it is difficult to differentiate between the common cold and COVID-19, people are recommended to take COVID-19 to get surety.
