New York: Loss of the sense of smell is most likely to occur by the third day of infection with the novel coronavirus. This has been found according to a study of over 100 COVID-19 patients. This development can help public health experts better identify those carrying the virus without adverse symptoms.
New facts about COVID-19 patients
The results of the telephonic study were published in the journal ‘Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery’. The study examined characteristics and symptoms of 103 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 over a six-week period.
The patients from Aarau, Switzerland provided data on the number of days they had COVID-19 symptoms. They also provided timing and severity of their loss of smell, said study co-author, Ahmad Sedaghat. He is a scientist at the University of Cincinnati in the United States.
Of the 103 patients, at least 61 per cent reported reduced or lost sense of smell. Sedaghat said that the mean onset for reduction or loss in the sense of smell was 3.4 days.
“We found the severity of loss of smell is correlated with how bad your other COVID-19 symptoms are,” Sedaghat said.
“If the anosmia, also known as loss of smell, is worse, the patients reported worse shortness of breath. They also had severe fever and cough,” added Sedaghat.
Relationship between COVID-19 and sense of smell
The relationship between decreased sense of smell and COVID-19 is something to be aware of. “If someone has a decreased sense of smell with COVID-19, we know they are within the first week of the disease course. There is still another week or two to expect,” added the scientist. He however, cautioned that while the loss of smell is an indicator of COVID-19, it’s not the only factor.
“When you start to experience serious symptoms of COVID-19 like shortness of breath and respiratory distress, you should become alarmed. That is when the disease is on the ascendancy,” Sedaghat pointed out.
Younger patients and women in the study were also more likely to experience a decreased loss of smell, the study noted. About 50 per cent of study patients experienced a stuffy nose and 35 per cent experienced a runny nose.
Important findings
Sedaghat asserted that the findings are important. Previous studies indicated that these nasal symptoms were rare in COVID-19. The studies attributed these symptoms to allergy and not the coronavirus.
“It means greater awareness is needed of COVID-19’s nasal symptoms. People should not run around sneezing in public and thinking it is okay, ‘this is just allergies’,” Sedaghat said. “It very well could be COVID-19. Wearing masks as protective gear for others you encounter is a good idea,” he added.
Public health perspective
Understanding more about loss of smell and COVID-19 is important for a public health perspective, the scientist cautioned.
“No one is going to die because of a loss of the sense of smell. It’s not the symptom that will kill anyone. However, it is important because it helps us to identify these COVID-19 patients as asymptomatic carriers,” Sedaghat asserted.
Agencies