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. 2021 Apr 23;19(5):1327–1359. doi: 10.5114/aoms/135703

Table II.

Clinical features of COVID-19

A. Asymptomatic: The vast majority of healthy younger people do not develop a critical form of COVID-19. However, some young people are seriously affected. The risk appears to rise with age and other associated diseases. Persons above the age of 60 and those who have heart disease, lung diseases (including smokers), kidney disease or immune deficiency or had a transplant are more vulnerable and may develop severe disease. However, loss of sense of smell seems to occur in many who have no other symptoms. Currently, it is estimated that ~50–75% are asymptomatic.
B. Mild COVID-19: Most people below the age of 60 and as many as ~80% of symptomatic cases will have this form of mild illness that lasts about 7–10 days. These people may have:

  1. Fever in 90% of cases,

  2. Dry cough (70%),

  3. Tiredness (40%),

  4. Feeling slightly breathless (20%),

  5. Muscle pains (15%),

  6. Headache (15%),

  7. Sore throat (14%),

  8. Diarrhea (4%),

  9. Running nose, sore or red eyes and vomiting and low mood may also occur in some.

C. Moderate COVID-19: People with moderate illness that also lasts about 7–14 days are more breathless and have tachycardia, may have cough and increasing breathlessness. The features of moderate COVID-19 include:

  1. Temperature > 37.8°C,

  2. Feeling breathless even on moderate exercise such as walking upstairs,

  3. Soreness due to cough,

  4. Moderate to persistent cough, several times an hour,

  5. Headache,

  6. Tiredness even if they stay in bed,

  7. A dry mouth.

D. Severe COVID-19: These are the patients who have developed pneumonia. Features of this form of COVID-19 include:

  1. Extreme breathlessness, such as unable to speak,

  2. Pain in the chest, abdomen or back,

  3. A high temperature,

  4. Tightness in the chest,

  5. Anorexia,

  6. Confusion,

  7. Rapid and shallow breathing,

  8. Tachycardia,

  9. Looking sick,

  10. Low blood pressure (< 90/60 mm Hg).

E. Critical COVID-19: These are the people who have developed severe pneumonia and are on the verge of developing ARDS or already have developed ARDS. These people may also have sepsis. These are the patients who may need O2 therapy or ventilatory and other supportive care in a hospital setting.
F. Post-COVID-19 likely complications:

  1. CVS: myocarditis, CHF, venous and arterial thrombosis,

  2. Respiratory: persistent dyspnea, cough, lung fibrosis, COPD,

  3. CNS: confusion, memory loss, lethargy, Parkinson’s disease, speech defects, tremors, gait abnormalities, venous and arterial thrombosis,

  4. Immune system: immune complex disease-like picture, increased susceptibility to infections,

  5. Renal system: Renal failure, nephrotic syndrome, nephritis,

  6. Endocrine system: Worsening of existing diabetes mellitus or development of diabetes mellitus in a non-diabetic; other endocrine abnormalities may occur but not yet documented.

G. COVID-19 and pregnancy: The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on pregnancy and its outcome are not clear. The current evidence indicates that COVID-19 does not have much adverse impact on pregnancy. Newborns to COVID-19 pregnant women do not seem to have any adverse effect. But long-term consequences of mother’s SARS-CoV-2 infection on the growth and development of children remains to be established.