Acute smell and taste loss in outpatients: all infected with SARS-CoV-2?
M. Renaud, Alicia León, G. Trau, L. Fath, S. Ciftci, Y. Bensimon, Aïna Venkatasamy, Christian Debry
Abstract
During SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, our region (Alsace, East of France) became a Covid-19 cluster quite early in Europe. Loss of smell and taste was quickly flagged by the Ears-Nose and Throat scientific community as a potential warning signs of SARS-CoV-2 infection (1). Many patients and medical/paramedical workers with mild to moderate form of SARS-CoV-2 infection complained about their loss of sense of smell and taste to our ENT department. The aim of our study was to compare the characteristics of loss of smell and taste between patients with a clinical diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection to patients with a RT-PCR diagnosis.
Topics & Concepts
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)TasteCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakMedicineVirologyFood scienceInternal medicineBiologyDiseaseInfectious disease (medical specialty)OutbreakOlfactory and Sensory Function StudiesAdvanced Chemical Sensor TechnologiesBiochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques