Most common symptom of Covid found - and it's not losing sense of taste

23 May 2023 , 15:49

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The most common Covid symptom has been revealed (Image: Getty Images)

Covid patients' most common non-respiratory symptom across all strains is a fever, a new study has found.

Researchers have discovered that a high temperature is the most reported non-respiratory feature of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

And the finding held true no matter which Covid variant patients were suffering from, and whether or not they were fully vaccinated or not fully vaccinated.

American researchers also found that patients who were not fully vaccinated had a higher risk of dying when infected with either the Omicron or Delta variant.

The study was based on the examination of medical records of 63,454 patients who had been treated in a University of California medical centre for Covid-19.

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The most common non-respiratory Covid symptom is a fever (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The research team applied statistical tests to determine the relationship between non-respiratory features, vaccination status and differences in mortality between infection with the Omicron and Delta variants.

Corresponding author Shannon Cotton said: "We determined that we would conduct this study because the scientific literature has shown that, although Covid is a respiratory disease, it affects multiple organ systems.

"We wanted to determine which organ systems and features were most affected by the different SARS-CoV-2 variants, which were more likely to lead to death, and the effect of being vaccinated or not fully vaccinated.

"We found that the risk of developing non-respiratory features of Covid-19 was statistically higher in those who were not fully vaccinated, across all variants."

She said heart disease was statistically higher in those not fully vaccinated at the time that Omicron was dominant.

Specifically, tachycardia - a heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute - was found in more people not fully vaccinated during the surges of both Omicron and Delta.

In addition, both diabetes and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were features of all variants, regardless of vaccination status.

Ms Cotton, an ICU nurse and nursing science PhD student at the University of California, Irvine, added: "Our findings speak to the importance of vaccination as the odds of dying were significantly increased in those not fully vaccinated."

The findings were presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference in Washington, DC.

Tim Hanlon