Loss of smell and taste has been
anecdotally linked to COVID-19 infections. In a study published April 12, 2020
in the journal International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology,
researchers at UC San Diego Health report the first empirical findings that
strongly associate sensory loss with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused
by the novel coronavirus.
“Based on our
study, if you have smell and taste loss, you are more than 10 times more likely
to have COVID-19 infection than other causes of infection. The most common
first sign of a COVID-19 infection remains fever, but fatigue and loss of smell
and taste follow as other very common initial symptoms,” said Carol Yan, MD, an
otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon at UC San Diego Health. “We know
COVID-19 is an extremely contagious virus. This study supports the need to be
aware of smell and taste loss as early signs of COVID-19.”
Yan and
colleagues surveyed 1,480 patients with flu-like symptoms and concerns
regarding potential COVID-19 infection who underwent testing at UC San Diego
Health from March 3 through March 29, 2020. Within that total, 102 patients
tested positive for the virus and 1,378 tested negative. The study included
responses from 59 COVID-19-positive patients and 203 COVID-19-negative
patients.
Yan said the
study demonstrated the high prevalence and unique presentation of certain
sensory impairments in patients positive with COVID-19. Of those who reported
loss of smell and taste, the loss was typically profound, not mild. But
encouragingly, the rate of recovery of smell and taste was high and occurred
usually within two to four weeks of infection.
“Our study not
only showed that the high incidence of smell and taste is specific to COVID-19
infection, but we fortunately also found that for the majority of people
sensory recovery was generally rapid,” said Yan. “Among the Covid-19 patients
with smell loss, more than 70 percent had reported improvement of smell at the
time of survey and of those who hadn’t reported improvement, many had only been
diagnosed recently.”
Sensory return
typically matched the timing of disease recovery. Interestingly, the
researchers found that persons who reported experiencing a sore throat more
often tested negative for COVID-19.
In an effort to
decrease risk of virus transmission, UC San Diego Health now includes loss of
smell and taste as a screening requirement for visitors and staff, as well as a
marker for testing patients who may be positive for the virus.
Other known
symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, fatigue, cough and difficulty breathing.
Respondents in Yan’s study were most often persons with milder forms of
COVID-19 infection who did not require hospitalization or intubation. The
findings, she said, underline the importance of identifying early or subtle
symptoms of COVID-19 infection in people who may be at risk of transmitting the
disease as they recuperate within the community.
“It is our hope
that with these findings other institutions will follow suit and not only list
smell and taste loss as a symptom of COVID-19, but use it as a screening
measure for the virus across the world,” Yan said.
Journal article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/alr.22579
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