Coronavirus Outbreak: Loss of smell, taste might signal pandemic infection

In wake of global Coronavirus outbreak, medical experts citing reports from several countries ted that a loss of smell or taste might be an early sign of infection. It might even serve as a useful screening tool, y say. idea of a virus infection reducing sense of smell is t new. respiratory viral infection is a common cause of loss of smell because inflammation can interfere with airflow and ability to detect odors. sense of smell usually returns when infection resolves, but in a small percent of cases, smell loss can persist after or symptoms disappear. In some cases, it is permanent.

Experts have found "good evidence" from South Korea,  China and Italy for loss or impairment of smell in infected people says a joint statement from presidents of British Rhilogical Society and of ENT UK, a British group that represents ear, se and throat doctors. In South Korea, some 30% of people who tested positive for virus have cited loss of smell as ir major complaint is orwise mild cases, y wrote. So that might be useful as a way to spot infected people without or symptoms — fever, coughing and shortness of breath — of new coronavirus, y wrote.

READ| 'India has tremendous capacity': WHO expects India to lead fight against Covid-19

In a similar proposition,  an American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery ted “rapidly accumulating” anecdotal evidence from around world that pandemic virus can cause t only loss of smell but also a diminished sense of taste. So appearance of those symptoms in people without ar explanation should alert doctors to possibility of a COVID-19 infection, group said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, an outbreak expert at World Health Organization, told reporters Monday that U.N. health ncy is looking into question of wher loss of smell or taste is a defining feature of disease. Dr. Eric Holbrook, an expert on nasal and sinus disease at Massachusetts Eye and Ear hospital in Boston, said reports have been a hot topic among researchers and doctors. But “we don’t have hard evidence right w” about how often smell loss occurs in people infected with pandemic virus, he said in an interview Monday.

Holbrook said reports he has seen suggest sense of smell returns within a couple of weeks, but how long it lasts has yet to be firmly established. He also said it’s difficult to assess reports of a loss of taste because people with an impaired sense of smell often report a loss of flavor, which is technically different from an impairment in taste. Holbrook said he is trying to set up a study of smell in people being tested for coronavirus at Boston-area hospitals.

READ| SAARC health professionals meet to discuss coronavirus measures postponed

What is Coronavirus?

coronavirus (CoV) is a vel strain in large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute respiratory syndromes. Common symptoms of vel coronavirus (nCoV) strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, as per WHO. Coronaviruses are zootic, meaning y are transmitted between animals and people, according to WHO. Several kwn coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have t yet infected humans.

(With AP inputs)