From a dry cough to a fever, coronavirus is known to come with a range of nasty side effects.
However, a new study has shown that if you catch the virus, the first sign of the disease may actually be digestive issues.
Researchers from the Wuhan Medical Treatment Expert Group for COVID-19 in China said that symptoms including diarrhoea and nausea could indicate you have the disease.
In the study, the researchers analysed coronavirus patients in the Hubei province of China.
Their analysis revealed that nearly half of patients presented with digestive symptoms, and claimed that this was their main issue, rather than a fever or dry cough.
The study also revealed that patients with digestive symptoms had a longer gap between onset of symptoms and hospital admission.
Worryingly, these patients also took longer to be discharged than those without digestive issues.
Based on the findings, the researchers are urging the public to look out for digestive issues as well as respiratory symptoms.
They said: “The index of suspicion may need to be raised earlier in at-risk patients presenting with digestive symptoms rather than waiting for respiratory symptoms to emerge.”
The findings comes shortly after scientists at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University produced a day-by-day breakdown of the typical symptoms.
They found that approximately 99% of patients develop a high temperature, while more than half experience fatigue and a dry cough. About a third also have muscle pain and difficulty in breathing.
