‘2019 novel coronavirus’ or ‘COVID-19’ by the World Health Organization (WHO) oversees the current outbreak of pneumonia that began at the beginning of December 2019 near in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
The world health organization defines the Corona
virus disease (covid-19) is an infectious disease which is caused by a newly discovered corona virus. It was formerly known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV- 2). The world health organization named the disease COVID-19. Covid-19 is an acronym of CO mean corona, VI means virus, D means disease and 19 mean 2019. ABOUT DISEASE Coronavirus is a family of viruses that can cause illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). COVID-19 is a pathogenic virus. From the phylogenetic analysis carried out with obtainable full genome sequences, bats occur to be the COVID-19 virus reservoir, but the intermediate host(s) has not been detected till now. It is a zoonotic disease which means that it was first transmitted from animal to human.
Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
may appear 2 to 14 days (about 2 weeks) after exposure. This time after exposure and before having symptoms is called the incubation period. You can still spread COVID-19 before you have symptoms. This is called presymptomatic transmission. Common symptoms can include: Fever. Cough. Tiredness. Early symptoms of COVID-19 may include a loss of taste or smell. Other symptoms may include: Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Muscle aches. Chills. Sore throat. Runny nose. Headache. Chest pain. Pink eye (conjunctivitis). Nausea. Vomiting. Diarrhea. Rash. The severity of COVID-19 symptoms can range from very mild to severe. Some people may have only a few symptoms. Some people may have no symptoms at all but can still spread it. This is called asymptomatic transmission.
CAUSES
Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus 2, also called SARS-CoV-2, causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily among people. Study has shown that the COVID-19 virus spreads mainly from person to person among those in close contact. The virus spreads by respiratory droplets released when someone with the virus coughs, sneezes, breathes, sings or talks. These droplets can be inhaled or land in the mouth, nose or eyes of a person nearby. Sometimes the COVID-19 virus can spread when a person is exposed to very small droplets or aerosols that stay in the air for several minutes or hours — called airborne transmission. The virus also can spread if you touch a surface with the virus on it and then touch your mouth, nose or eyes. But the risk is low. The COVID-19 virus can spread from someone who is infected but has no symptoms. This is called asymptomatic transmission. The COVID-19 virus also can spread from someone who is infected but hasn't developed symptoms yet. This is called presymptomatic transmission. It's possible to get COVID-19 more than once. A study shows that this disease has an impact on the mental, physical and social well-being of health care professionals. Previous studies on covid-19 also show that three groups of people are prone to the complication of covid-19. Those group include young children, people aged 65 years or older and women who are pregnant.
Symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days (about 2
weeks) after exposure to the virus. Children have similar, but usually milder, symptoms than adults. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of more serious complication from COVID-19. Risk Factors
Risk factors for COVID-19 appear to include:
Close contact with someone who has COVID- 19, especially someone with symptoms. Being coughed or sneezed on by an infected person. Being near an infected person when in an indoor space with poor airflow.
Risk factors for serious COVID-19 illness:-
Some people are at a higher risk of serious COVID- 19 illness than others. This includes people who are older, and the risk increases with age. People with existing medical conditions also may have a higher risk of serious illness. This includes people who have: Sickle cell disease or thalassemia. Serious heart diseases, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy, and possibly high blood pressure. Chronic kidney, liver or lung diseases. People with dementia or Alzheimer's are also at higher risk, as are people with brain and nervous system conditions such as stroke. Smoking increases the risk of serious COVID-19 illness. And people with body mass index in the overweight category or obese category may have an increased risk as well. Other medical conditions that may increase the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 include: Cancer. Type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Weakened immune system from solid organ transplants or bone marrow transplants, some medicines, or HIV. Pregnancy. Down syndrome. Substance use disorders.
Other medical conditions may increase your risk of
serious illness from COVID-19. Pathophysiology
Although much has been discovered regarding the
transmission and presentation, less is known about the pathophysiology of COVID-19. An overview of the disease pathophysiology has been shown in given figure below: Pathophysiology of COVID- 19. CXCL-10, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; MIP-1α, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2; TNF-α, tumour necrosis factor-α; G-CSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; GM-CSF, granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating factor.