Researchers at New York University have been investigating which early symptoms of coronavirus could indicate that a patient will go on to develop one of the most serious cases of the disease.
Researchers have been investigating links between symptoms and outcomes in cases from China.
New York University researchers found a link between sore muscles and serious Covid-19 cases during an analysis of 53 patients in Wenzhou, China.
Megan Coffee, the infectious-disease expert who led the study, said deep muscle soreness, known as myalgia, were often exhibited by patients, reports The Mirror.
However, Professor Coffee said she would ask a patient about shortness of breath before other less serious symptoms, such as body aches.
She told Business Insider : "Our hope is to assist doctors in that first stage to be able to identify who may become sick of the many mild cases."
The World Health Organization said aches or joint pain came up in around 15 per cent of coronavirus patients.
The soreness is caused by chemicals called cytokines being released into the body in response to the infection, according to The Sun.
Researchers also found that changes to liver enzyme alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and haemoglobin levels were signs of the most serious coronavirus cases.
Professor Coffee said patients with all three of these symptoms are at risk of severe lung disease.
She added that knowing early signs of serious cases could help health workers make decisions on hospital admissions.
The expert pointed out that if no hospital beds were available, staff could advise a person with serious symptoms to return the next day instead of just allowing them to leave.
