Almost half of corona virus patients experience nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea before they get a fever. It could be one of the first signs of COVID-19 infection.

An exhibition center has been converted into a hospital in Wuhan, February 5, 2020.
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Almost half of patients with the new corona virus experience nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Though the virus primarily causes fever or difficulty breathing, these symptoms sometimes appear first.

In one case, a corona virus patient was placed in the wrong ward because they only showed abdominal symptoms. They spread the virus to 14 other people there.

Like SARS, the new corona virus could spread through poop.

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Symptoms from the corona virus is giving almost half of corona virus patients nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, CBS News reported, citing Chinese researchers.

Data from 204 corona virus patients in their mid-50s who were hospitalized in the Hubei province in China between between Jan. 18 and Feb. 28, according to the CBS News report.

"Clinicians must bear in mind that digestive symptoms, such as diarrhea, may be a presenting feature of COVID-19, and that the index of suspicion may need to be raised earlier in these cases rather than waiting for respiratory symptoms to emerge," investigators from the Wuhan Medical Treatment Expert Group for COVID-19 wrote, according to CBS News.

Gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and diarrhea could be early clues of corona virus infection, according to a study by The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The deadly new corona virus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19, has spread from the city of Wuhan, China, to more than 156 countries. As of Thursday, the disease has infected more than 242,700 worldwide, and the global death toll has surpassed 9,800.

The corona-virus is part of a family of respiratory illnesses that includes the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Patients often show pneumonia-like symptoms, especially fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association identified 14 corona virus patients who had diarrhea and nausea before they showed any signs of fever or respiratory symptoms. That was 10% of the study's 138-person sample size.


One of those patients was placed in a surgical ward because they only showed abdominal symptoms, so doctors didn't suspect the new corona-virus. That patient then transmitted the virus to at least 10 healthcare workers and four other patients in the ward. (If you think you might have the corona virus, call your doctor before leaving the house.)

Reference: Yahoo News