Background: Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) are one of the most common
causes of the \u201ccommon cold\u201d. Some HCoV strains, however,
can cause fatal respiratory disease. Some examples of these diseases
are severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory
syndrome (MERS), and Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19). This article
will review the etiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and management
of HCoVs. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed using
the terms \u201chuman coronaviruses\u201d, \u201cMERS-CoV\u201d,
\u201cSARSCoV\u201d, \u201cSARS-CoV2\u201d, \u201cCOVID-19\u201d,
and \u201ccommon cold\u201d in OVID MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cochrane
Library. Findings: Most HCoVs cause mild upper respiratory infections
which resolve with supportive care and no sequelae. In recent decades,
however, there have been outbreaks of novel HCoVs that cause more
severe disease. This is largely due to HCoVs having large genomes which
undergo frequent recombination events, leading to the emergence of
novel and more virulent strains of the virus. These severe respiratory
illnesses can lead to acute respiratory distress requiring invasive
intervention, such as mechanical ventilation. These severe infections
can lead to long-lasting sequelae in patients. Scientists continue to
investigate potential treatments for these viruses, though supportive
care remains the gold standard. Scientists have succeeded in developing
numerous vaccines for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and ongoing data collection
and analysis will shed even more light on the next steps in fighting
the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Due to the frequency of
recombination events and the subsequent emergence of novel strains,
HCoVs are becoming more prevalent, making them a global health concern
as they can lead to epidemics and pandemics. Understanding the
epidemiology, etiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and management of
HCoVs is important, especially during this worldwide pandemic