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The loss of odor that can accompany the coronavirus is unique and different from that experienced by someone with a bad cold like flu, say European researchers who have studied patients’ experiences.
If Covid-19 patients have smoking cessation, it tends to be sudden and serious.
And they usually do not have a blocked, intoxicated or runny nose – most people with coronavirus can still breathe freely.
Another thing that sets them apart is their “true” taste loss.
It’s not that her taste is somewhat diminished because her sense of smell is out of action, say the researchers in the journal Rhinology. Coronavirus patients with taste loss can really not tell the difference between bitter or sweet.
Experts think this is because the pandemic virus attacks nerve cells that are directly involved with odor and taste sensation.
The main symptoms of coronavirus are:
- high temperature
- new, continuous cough
- loss of flavor or taste
Anyone with these symptoms should isolate themselves and arrange to have a swab test to check if they have the virus. Members of their household should also isolate to prevent possible spread.
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Fragrance research
Lead researcher Prof Carl Philpott, of the University of East Anglia, performed odor and taste tests on 30 volunteers: 10 with Covid-19, 10 with bad colds and 10 healthy people without cold or flu symptoms.
Smear loss was much deeper in the Covid-19 patents. They were less able to identify odors, and they could not distinguish bitter or sweet tastes at all.
Prof Philpott, who works with the charity Fifth Sense, which was set up to help people with odor and taste disorders, said: “There seem to be really distinctive features that set the coronavirus apart from others. respiratory viruses.
“This is very exciting because it means odor and taste tests can be used to discriminate between Covid-19 patients and people with a common cold like flu.”
He said people could use their own flavor and taste tests at home with products such as coffee, garlic, oranges or lemons and sugar.
He stressed that diagnostic throat and nasal swab tests were still essential if anyone thought they might have coronavirus.
The senses of smell and taste return within a few weeks in most people recovering from coronavirus, he added.
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Prof Andrew Lane is an expert on nose and sinus problems at Johns Hopkins University in the US.
He and his team have examined tissue samples from the back of the nose to understand how coronavirus can cause odor loss and have published the findings in the European Respiratory Journal.
They identified extremely high levels of an enzyme that was only present in the area of the nose responsible for smoke.
This enzyme, called ACE-2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme II), is thought to be the “entry point” that coronavirus can get into the body’s cells and cause an infection.
The nose is one of the places where Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, enters the body.
Prof Lane said: “We are now doing more experiments in the lab to see if the virus actually uses these cells to gain access and infect the body.
“If that is the case, we can tackle the infection with antiviral therapies delivered directly through the nose.”
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