Clinical Features of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Viral diseases continue to emerge and represent a serious issue to public health. Since viral transmission occurs through respiratory droplets, most patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) predominantly have respiratory tract involvement. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 ranges from asymptomatic to symptomatic with mild, moderate, and severe degrees of illnesses. There are no specific clinical features that can yet reliably distinguish COVID-19 from other viral respiratory infections. Unexplained worsening of underlying chronic illnesses and comorbidities should raise the suspicion of COVID-19. Beyond the life-threatening pulmonary complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the widespread organ-specific manifestations of COVID-19 are increasingly being appreciated. Given that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the entry receptor for the SARS-CoV-2, is expressed in multiple extrapulmonary tissues and that all might contribute to these extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19, here we review the pulmonary and extrapulmonary presentations for patients with COVID-19.