Covid new strain symptoms: Scientists discover fever temperature dips with age
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As one of the core symptoms of Covid disease – regardless of the variant – a high temperature, or fever, is one of the barometers of illness that warrant a free NHS coronavirus test. Could this be about to change? The research team at King’s worked with mounting data collated from two hospital cohorts, TwinsUK cohort and the Zoe Covid Symptom Study app. Analysing the data set, the scientists discovered basal body temperature was lower in older people and those with a lower body mass index (BMI).
Older people who tested positive for Covid were less likely to have a fever reaching 37.8C or more.
The chances of reaching a fever this high dropped by one percent with every additional year of age.
Therefore, the scientists fear Covid cases in the elderly – the most at-risk group of severe disease – could be missed entirely. This is because older people often have a lower fever than the 37.8C threshold.
The NHS outline three main symptoms of Covid, which are:
- A new, continuous cough
- A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
- A high temperature
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It added: “Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.”
However, up-to-date data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) demonstrated that the new variant is less likely to cause a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
Now King’s research suggests older people could have Covid without reaching the threshold of a fever.
This only leaves a cough as the only checkmark to get tested – and this is still common in the B117 dominant strain circulating in the UK.
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The King’s study noted that the average body temperature is around 36.5C to 37.5C.
Although this range can vary with the time of day and how it’s measured, older people, or thinner people, have a “slightly lower temperature”.
The researchers proposed that people aged 65 or over could be suffering from a fever when the body temperature is measuring 37.4C.
Based on their analyses, they found that using a threshold of 37.4C for over 65s is as sensitive and specific a sign of infection as 37.8C in adults under 65.
Lead researcher Dr Claire Steves commented on the findings of the King’s study.
“Fever is one of the key symptoms of COVID-19, but our results show that cases in older people may be missed because the current temperature threshold is too high for older people.
“Recognising 37.4 as the fever threshold for people over 65 could make a big difference to diagnosing the disease in a timely way, stopping its spread, and getting the right treatment.”
The findings support a call for the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) guidelines to be revised.
The NEWS score is a tool for doctors to detect clinical deterioration in adult patients.
It must be noted the study by King’s is yet to be peer-reviewed by other scientists.
Meanwhile, the new variant isn’t only dangerous to elderly people, it’s causing problems in the younger generations too.
More young people are hit harder by the new, most dominant strain of coronavirus.
NHS Dr Rachel Clarke warned she was seeing Covid patients in their 20s and 30s – with no other health conditions – filling intensive care beds this week.
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