They ask to globally recognize the loss of smell as a key symptom of coronavirus

Researchers urge self-isolation and PCR testing for people who notice a loss in their ability to perceive household odors such as garlic, coffee and perfumes.

Four out of every five people who experienced loss of smell and/or taste tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies and of these, 40% did not have a cough or fever, according to a study in which the authors ask for urgent recognition worldwide loss of smell as a key symptom of the disease.

The research is led by Rachel Batterham of University College London and the results are published in the journal 'Plos Medicine'.

Covid can cause loss of taste and/or smell, but the prevalence of antibodies in people who report these symptoms is unknown, the magazine points out in a press release, in which it also recalls that the importance is still not well understood. of the loss of these senses when predicting the disease.

To estimate the seroprevalence of antibodies in people with acute loss of the sense of smell and/or taste, the researchers recruited 590 participants who had reported a lack of these in the previous month; In total, 567 were tested for antibodies.

According to the results, 78% had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and those with loss of smell were almost three times more likely to have antibodies against this coronavirus than those with loss of taste.

For Batterham and his team, this suggests that the loss of smell is a very specific symptom of covid-19, which is why, they say, it should be taken more into account when testing to detect the virus, isolating cases and in treatment strategies.

Although the study had some limitations, such as the lack of a control group, the researchers believe that the findings have "significant implications" for global policy makers, as most countries do not recommend self-isolation and performing diagnostic tests based on the acute loss of smell and/or taste.

"This study suggests that an overreliance on cough and fever as primary symptoms may be flawed and that loss of smell needs to be urgently recognized globally as a key symptom of this disease."

According to Rachel Batterham, “Early recognition of Covid symptoms by the public, along with rapid self-isolation and PCR testing, are vital to limiting the spread of the disease.”

However, currently most countries do not recognize the sudden loss of smell as a symptom, recalls this researcher.

"Our findings suggest that people who notice a loss in their ability to perceive household odors such as garlic, coffee and perfumes should self-isolate and undergo PCR testing. The loss of the sense of smell should be recognized globally by legislators as a key symptom of covid," he summarizes.