Coronavirus natural history, complications and prognosis

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sabawoon Mirwais, M.B.B.S, M.D.[2]

Overview

Coronavirus infection can have a highly variable disease course. The infection can range from being subclinical to being an overt clinical condition.

Coronavirus infection can have a highly variable disease course.
The infection can range from being subclinical to being an overt clinical condition.

SARS begins with high fever (temperature greater than 100.4°F [> 38.0°C]).^[1]
The fever can later be accompanied by headache, general feeling of discomfort, and diffuse body pain.
The condition worsens with time and patients can develop diarrhea, dry cough, and dyspnea.

MERS follows almost the same course as SARS.^[2]
A significant proportion of patients were asymptomatic during the 2012 outbreak.
Others presented with respiratory and/or gastrointestinal symptoms.

2019-nCoV infection has been following the same pathway of the infamous coronavirus infections (SARS and MERS).
The disease course can be insignificant in part due to the lack of symptoms.^[3]
When present, the initial symptoms can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
Patients presenting with worsening symptoms are requiring intubation and ICU care.