What Happens to Your Body If You Get COVID-19?

To date, the COVID-19 pandemic has left hundreds of thousands of Filipinos infected with the coronavirus. You may even know someone who has experienced symptoms of the illness.

The symptoms are similar to flu, with some complaining of sore throat, headache, and fever. In severe cases, patients start losing their sense of smell and taste and experience shortness of breath. Others may be asymptomatic, meaning they have been exposed to the virus but show no symptoms of the infection.

But what do these symptoms tell you about the status of your health and wellness? What really happens to your body if you get the coronavirus?

Knowing the answers to these questions can give you a holistic view of how the virus affects your body functions, as well as how you can fight the disease.

How Your Body Reacts to COVID-19

The coronavirus poses major health risks as it can affect various organs in your body, which is why you may experience a wide range of symptoms. Here, we identify the effects of COVID-19 on two systems of the body, namely the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.

1. Lungs

In most cases, the coronavirus attacks the respiratory system, causing respiratory illnesses and affecting the lungs. This is usually the first thing that will happen.

Symptoms

Two days after exposure to the virus, you may develop fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. However, it’s also possible for these symptoms to appear for as long as 14 days after exposure. These are also common for people with the flu.

Mild Effects

COVID-19 can lead to a mild infection, which happened to 81% of COVID-19 cases reported in China. Here at home, 9 in 10 cases are also considered mild, but this doesn’t mean that health tips during a pandemic can be ignored. Remember, prevention is still better than cure.

Mild infections are usually accompanied by fever, indicating that the immune system is under attack by the virus; cough may also be present. These symptoms occur in 68% to 83% of COVID-19 cases, which may be due to the virus invading the cells.

Severe Effects

Unfortunately, COVID-19 can lead to severe respiratory ailments, such as pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs, usually within five days after showing symptoms of COVID-19.

But if you don’t belong to the elderly age bracket or don’t have chronic medical conditions like diabetes or hypertension, you might not develop acute respiratory distress syndrome. This type of severe lung damage is marked by low oxygen levels in the blood, possibly because the virus is clogging the blood vessels of the lungs.

Recovery

The good news is mild respiratory symptoms can be treated without needing to go to a primary hospital for specialized health care. The most effective wellness plan against COVID-19 is to boost your immune system with complete bed rest and a healthy diet. Drinking lots of fluid and treating the symptoms with paracetamol can help you recover in a week, too.

2. Stomach and intestines

Another pathway that the coronavirus uses to enter the body is through the gastrointestinal system, which includes the stomach and intestines. However, COVID-19 effects on your gut are less common since the lungs are easier entry points for the virus.

Symptoms

Some COVID-19 patients experienced symptoms of gastrointestinal problems, such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Sometimes, these symptoms appear before experiencing fever and respiratory illnesses.

Mild Effects

The novel coronavirus can also be compared to a stomach virus, wherein you experience vomiting and diarrhea. These symptoms indicate that there’s an infection in your gut, caused by none other than a harmful virus invasion.

Severe Effects

One of the most severe complications of COVID-19 is gastrointestinal bleeding or hemorrhage. If you already have chronic gastrointestinal disease, you may be at risk for showing severe symptoms and need hospitalization to manage the condition better.

Recovery

Early hospital care interventions can put a stop to gastrointestinal symptoms caused by COVID-19. In fact, data shows that a few cases of gastrointestinal bleeding were successfully managed.