When the coronavirus first wreaked havoc all over the world, experts warned everyone about its common symptoms, which include fever, tiredness, dry cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, aches and pains, chills, headache, and sore throat. As it turns out, the loss of either smell or taste may also be an early warning sign of COVID-19.
Prior to this discovery, anecdotal accounts of smell and taste loss associated with COVID-19 have been reported worldwide, but no formal study has supported it. Scientists weren’t able to determine how common the symptom was among those who contracted the virus. Now, a new study published in the journal International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology revealed that smell and taste loss appears to be a common early symptom in patients with mild infections. People with smell loss can often still sense different tastes but are rendered incapable of identifying specific flavors. Because of this, people with smell loss often report losing their sense of taste as well.
Dr. Carol H. Yan, an otolaryngologist at UC San Diego Health, explains that the research suggests that if you have smell and taste loss, you’re 10 times more likely to have COVID-19. “This study supports the need to be aware of smell and taste loss as early signs of COVID-19,” Yan said in a statement. As per the doctors interviewed by Healthline, it’s vital for patients and doctors alike to be aware of this connection, despite the data only being in the preliminary stage. “From what we’ve seen, as many as two-thirds of those with COVID-19 may experience a temporary loss or distortion of their smell, as well as taste,” Dr. Robert Quigley, a senior vice president and regional medical director of International SOS, told Healthline.
The study screened data from 1,480 patients with flu-like symptoms who have gone through COVID-19 testing at UC San Diego Health in March. Out of the 102 patients who tested positive, 59 participated in the smell-loss study. An additional 203 people who tested negative also participated in the study to help the researchers figure out whether smell loss was unique to COVID-19 patients.
About 68% of the COVID-19 patients in the study experienced smell loss, and 71% reported taste loss, as compared with the 16% and 17% of negative patients, respectively. According to the COVID-19 patients who experienced smell or taste loss, the symptom was “profound” and “not mild.” However, the majority were able to recover their sense of smell and taste in about two to four weeks, around the same time they recovered from the infection.
“Among the COVID-19 patients with smell loss, more than 70 percent had reported improvement of smell at the time of the survey and of those who hadn’t reported improvement, many had only been diagnosed recently,” Yan added.
No participants in the study had to go through hospitalization or invasive breathing support. Had social-distancing measures were not put into effect, these individuals could have spread the virus to others in their communities, despite not having intense symptoms. Those who feel well should note smell and taste loss as potential signs of COVID-19 given that those with mild symptoms contribute heavily to the virus’ spread.
“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.
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