(News)
– A small study from Europe is the first to show how smoke loss associated with COVID-19 differs from that caused by a severe cold like the flu – and the findings support the theory that the coronavirus infects the brain and central nervous system, per a press release. A group of odor disorder experts conducted odor and taste tests on a group of 30 participants: Ten of them had COVID-19 for about two weeks, 10 had severe colds, and 10 served as controls. The goal, per study lead Carl Philpott of Norwich Medical School, was to find out how a symptom common to both diseases actually differs. Per her study in the journal Rhinology, they found three main abnormalities, in addition to the fact that odor loss was usually more severe: With COVID-19 smoke loss, the patient can breathe freely, usually has no runny or runny nose, and cannot detect sweet or bitter tastes.
Philpott explains that “COVID-19 virus has previously been suggested to affect the central nervous system, based on the neurological signs developed by some patients. There are also similarities with SARS, which have also been reported to enter the brain. , possibly through smoke receptors in the nose. Our results reflect, at least to some extent, a specific involvement at the level of the central nervous system in some COVID-19 patients. “And he calls the results” very exciting “, because they suggest that odor and taste tests can be used diagnostically. Although they would not be precise enough to replace the common swab test, “they could provide an alternative if conventional tests are not available or if rapid screening is needed, particularly at the primary care level, in emergency departments,” or at airports, “he says. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
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