We Still Don't Fully Understand The Label 'Asymptomatic'
A new study reveals that even patients who are reportedly asymptomatic — no fever, cough, fatigue or breathing issues — could sustain temporary lung damage from the novel coronavirus.
Even if someone is infected by the novel coronavirus and remains asymptomatic — free of coughing, fever, fatigue and other common signs of infection, that doesn't mean the coronavirus isn't taking a toll. The virus can still be causing mild — although, likely reversible — harm to their lungs.
A new paper in Nature Medicine, published June 18, documents the clinical patterns of asymptomatic infections. It finds that many of the people studied developed signs of minor lung inflammation — akin to walking pneumonia — while exhibiting no other symptoms of coronavirus.
