Coronavirus: This uncomfortable and annoying sensation can be a symptom of COVID-19

As we write this, the toll of the positive coronavirus cases has touched the 19 million mark and more than 7,11,200 people have succumbed to the highly infectious disease. While scientists and researchers across the globe are working day and night to develop a cure for COVID-19, accelerated efforts are also underway to learn more about the tricky symptoms of the disease for a timely diagnosis.

It should be noted that while earlier fever, dry cough, sore throat and breathlessness were considered the hallmarks of COVID-19, it has become increasingly evident in the past few months that the disease presents itself in novel, and sometimes completely bizarre ways. While some of the clinical features of novel coronavirus are similar to other respiratory illnesses, it also causes unusual symptoms including loss of taste and smell (without any nasal congestion), eye problems, skin rashes, mild gastrointestinal problems and even dizziness in some patients.

With close to 19 million cases around the globe, it has been established that the novel coronavirus can impact the whole body, from head to toe, in unpredictable and never-seen-before ways. A study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine points to a novel symptom of COVID-19, which may be considered the first sign of the disease: persistent hiccups.

In the study, doctors from Cook County Health, USA elaborated the case report of a 62-year-old man, who went to the emergency department of the hospital after suffering from persistent hiccups for four days. Persistent hiccups are also known as hiccoughs. The patient did not have any history of lung illness and had lost roughly around 11 kilos in the past four months, without even trying.

The patient was admitted to hospital with a four-day history of persistent hiccups and did not have tell-tale symptoms of the novel coronavirus. His physical examination also did not reveal much as on the day of admission, his temperature was 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit but there was no nasal congestion, sore throat, chest pain or even shortness of breath.

After the doctors conducted X-ray to understand the cause of persistent hiccups, they found abnormal ground glass-like opacities in both his lungs. These abnormalities appeared as hazy areas in his lungs and signified some sort of damage to the lungs, inflammation or bleeding as per Bruce Y. Lee, MD, professor of Health Policy and Management at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Public Health.

Going by the findings of the X-ray, doctors further conducted a CT scan which confirmed the inflammation of lungs, which may have triggered the hiccups. The patient was admitted to COVID-19 unit after the doctors decided to test him for novel coronavirus. By the time he was admitted, he developed a fever of 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit and his heart rate also went up. According to the case report, just after a day of admission the patient also tested positive for COVID-19.

The researchers noted that his persist hiccups were linked to coronavirus, even though the gradual weight loss did not seem to have any connection to the disease. They wrote, “To our knowledge, this is the first case report of persistent hiccups as the presenting complaint in a COVID-19 positive patient in emergency medicine literature. It stresses the importance of a detailed evaluation in those presenting with hiccups, at a minimum taking a thorough history, physical exam, obtaining basic laboratory work, and getting a chest X-ray.”