- A new study has identified one of the most common symptoms of coronavirus in people suffering from a mild form of the COVID-19 virus.
- After reviewing more than 2,500 COVID patients from 18 European hospitals, most mild COVID patients reported a loss of their sense of taste and smell.
- Fortunately, most people recovered their sense of taste and smell within a few days.
As the US reports the highest one-day record to date for COVID-related deaths since the onset of the pandemic, we’re learning something new about one of the most common but bizarre coronavirus symptoms to watch out for.
A new study of more than 2,500 patients from 18 European hospitals has found that the same strange COVID symptom is present in about 86% of mild coronavirus cases – the loss of a person’s taste and smell. This was common in mild COVID cases, which are defined as the absence of viral pneumonia or causing measurable loss of oxygen so that the person cannot recover at home. Most people recover these senses within six months, which on the one hand sounds good but is also a little disturbing – because who wants six months without a sense of taste or smell?
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Typically, COVID patients recover these senses, on average, after about 18 to 21 days, according to the study published in the US Journal of Internal Medicine. However, about 5% have still not recovered full use of their olfactory function six months after infection.
Olfactory dysfunction (or OD) “is a common condition in COVID-19 patients with a higher prevalence in patients with mild forms of the disease,” notes the study. “After 2 months of follow-up (point), 75% to 85% of patients recovered the sense of smell according to subjective and objective olfactory evaluations.”
Other details from this study:
- OD was found to be more common in younger patients than in the elderly suffering from COVID-19.
- People with moderate COVID cases had “clinical signs of pneumonia,” such as cough and fever.
- Severe COVID cases include people who likely already had conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and numerous respiratory, cardiac and neurological conditions.
Steven Munger, director of the Center for Smell and Taste at the University of Florida, said CNN In an interview, one way you can check if you have the full function of your sense of smell is with the so-called “jellybean test”.
Basically, you close your nose with one hand and have a jelly bean in your other hand. Put it in your mouth and see if you can taste it. As you chew, release your grip on your nose. ‘When you have a sense of smell, all of a sudden you get all the smells and you say’ Oh! that’s a lemon jellybean, ‘or’ Oh! that’s cherry, ” said Munger. “It’s really a very dramatic, quick ‘Wow’ type response.”
“So if you can go from sweet and sour to full flavor and know what the flavor is, your sense of smell is probably in pretty good shape.”
Andy is a Memphis reporter who also contributes to outlets like Fast Company and The Guardian. When not writing about technology, he can be found protective of his burgeoning vinyl collection, as well as his whovianism and binges on a variety of TV shows you probably don’t like.