Is Nausea a Sign of COVID? Here’s What Doctors Have To Say
Every time an inkling of a scratchy throat, body ache or slight fever occurs it’s time to play no one’s favorite game: Is it COVID or something else? From the beginning, one major frustration about COVID has been that its symptoms overlap with many other common types of illness, a grievance that’s continued with each new variant.
One symptom, in particular, that can cause confusion is nausea, which describes feeling like you’re going to vomit. Certainly, nausea is never a welcome feeling, but is nausea a symptom of COVID, and should you be getting tested for COVID and quarantining while you wait to feel better? Keep reading to find out what doctors want everyone to know about nausea and COVID.
Related: 8 Sneaky Symptoms That You Might Not Realize Are Signs of Long COVID
Is Nausea a Sign of COVID?
In terms of if nausea could be a sign that you have COVID, Dr. Richard Watkins, MD, an infectious disease physician and a professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, says that it certainly could be. “Sometimes the only symptoms of COVID-19 are gastrointestinal ones, such as diarrhea, nausea or vomiting,” he says, adding that this is true of any of the COVID variants and subvariants.
Dr. Watkins says that the reason for this is because there is a type of receptor in the body that the COVID virus clings to called ACE-2. “This receptor is highly expressed in cells that line the gastrointestinal tract, thus leading to GI symptoms like nausea and vomiting,” he says. Infectious disease doctor Dr. Uza Syed, MD, echoes this, saying that the gastrointestinal tract is lined with these receptors, which the COVID virus attaches to and attacks. “This along with the inflammation that goes in the body could contribute to these symptoms,” she says.
Related: Here's What Symptoms of COVID Look Like If You're Vaccinated
It’s important to note that nausea is only one possible symptom of COVID; someone with COVID may or may not experience nausea. Because of this, it’s important to know the other symptoms of the virus as well, which include fever or chills, fatigue, coughing, shortness of breath, body aches, headaches, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, or runny nose. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, get tested for COVID-19. If you test positive, it’s important to self-isolate for at least five days so you do not spread the virus to others.
If nausea is the only possible COVID symptom you are experiencing, Dr. Syed says to evaluate your personal risk. “If someone has risk factors of exposure and there is a high level of community transmission, then they should get tested,” she says.
Related: Why Do Some People Get COVID and Others Don't? Doctors Break It Down
What Other Illnesses Could Nausea Be a Sign Of?
Besides COVID, both doctors say that experiencing nausea could be a symptom of the flu. The flu and COVID have many overlapping symptoms, including fever or chills, fatigue, coughing, shortness of breath, body aches, headaches and sore throat. Loss of taste and smell is more commonly associated with COVID than with the flu.
“Nausea and vomiting is a symptom that can be seen with many different illnesses and conditions, so it needs to be considered in a construct with a good detailed history,” Dr. Syed says. She says that other common causes of nausea include gastroenteritis, migraines, gallbladder disease, pregnancy or certain medications. According to Cleveland Clinic, experiencing nausea could also be a symptom of food poisoning, motion sickness, overeating, a concussion or brain injury. As you can see, there are many reasons why someone may experience nausea, which is exactly why it can make it so tricky to determine whether or not it’s a symptom of COVID.
Something Dr. Watkins says nausea is not likely a symptom of is the common cold. “Generally the common cold causes more upper respiratory symptoms like cough, sore throat and nasal congestion rather than gastrointestinal ones,” he says.
At this point, you’ve likely heard this dozens of times, but Dr. Watkins says that the best way to protect yourself from COVID is to get vaccinated and boosted. “Despite some loss of efficacy, getting vaccinated and boosted if eligible remains one of the best ways to avoid COVID-19 and its symptoms,” he says.
Dr. Syed echoes this. “During surges, it's best for people to continue to take some precautions and choose scenarios which are safer and make sure people are up to date on their vaccinations. As always, if you are experiencing any symptoms it's prudent to get tested, isolate and seek possible treatment that you may qualify for,” she says.
If you’re feeling nauseated, you very likely won’t feel like going anywhere anyway, but staying home will minimize your likelihood to spread your sickness to others. And that’s beneficial whether you have COVID or another type of sickness.
Next up, see a list of 18 foods to eat when you're feeling nauseated that can help alleviate symptoms.
Sources
Dr. Richard Watkins, MD, infectious disease physician and a professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University
Dr. Uza Syed, MD, infectious disease physician and CEO of Align Us
