Could loss of sense of smell be considered a symptom of COVID-19?

March 29, 2020  16:49

Can the loss of sense of smell be considered a symptom of the coronavirus? Many people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have described the loss of sense of smell along with other symptoms, but there is still no definite answer to the question.

Doctors refer to the loss of sense of smell as anosmia, which can be innate or caused by trauma or neurological condition or a virus, and COVID-19 is exactly that virus.

Clinical neurologist Paul Masiavsky from Canada claims that, in the case of the coronavirus, anosmia most likely isn’t caused by nasal congestion or serious injury in the head area.

In the case of viruses, anosmia can significantly reduce the sense of smell and even cause full loss of sense of smell. According to the specialist, over time, the sense of smell of certain patients may get better, but he is concerned that the damage caused to receptors and nerves may become chronic, for the most part.

Of course, he is certain that COVID-19 more often causes anosmia than the cold. Either way, if the correlation between loss of sense of smell and the coronavirus is confirmed, anosmia may be one of the symptoms of COVID-19.

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